


Play Me

by AliceMalefoy



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-14 05:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9164608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceMalefoy/pseuds/AliceMalefoy
Summary: Player 1 meets Player 2. The score is tight.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was initially meant to be a Chris x Eva thing, but then I changed my mind. I don't think I'm comfortable enough with Eva's character to write her yet - which is utterly ridiculous because we've had a whole season of her while Chris had like five minutes screen time, but I'm familiar with writing charming yet irritating (or the other way around) fuck boys. So yeah, here you go, you had a Chris x OC (Elin's the name btw).

Chris was both pleased and distraught to realize that so far, he had never encountered any real challenges in his life. His family was fairy well-off, he was fit and charming with a sweet tongue, which resulted in him always having his way with adults and girls, and he was smart despite his attempts to not appear too much so. He had never known the struggle of having to put actual effort into a task to achieve it, or the feeling of dread at the thought of failing. To say that it had an effect on his ego was the biggest understatement. Chris' self-confidence was in the stratosphere.  
That is, of course, until that one thing happened – Chris would later refer to it as his very own deus ex machina1. He was in his last year, it was supposed to be the best year ever – the girls throwing themselves at him, the Russ bus, the perspective of freedom being at arms' length. Yet somehow, it did not go according to Chris' plan at all.  
It all started with the arrival of fresh meat. And by fresh meat he meant the girls in eleventh grade, some of which would soon be targeted by the Penetrators and become a new tally on their bag. They had racked up a pretty nice body count so far. One of the prettiest new girls had mistaken Chris for another person named Chris and that was the beginning of it all, that's how the two groups came in contact in the first place.

*

When Eva's friends heard of her accidental encounter with Penetrator Chris, they flipped and urged her to flirt with him so they would get invited to the Penetrators' parties. Eva, who was very much in couple and in love with her boyfriend Jonas, refused, which caused a serious amount of complaining to ensue and a rent from Sana about how their entire future social life depended on whether or not they would go to that party.  
“Your relationship status is becoming a problem,” Sana said with a pointed expression. Eva's jaw dropped at this.  
“Just tell him that's you have a boyfriend but that you'd still like to come to the party,” Vilde exclaimed enthusiastically.  
“Yeah, because he's totally going to accept and respect that,” Elin snapped, rolling her eyes and drawing the attention to her. There was a long silence before Sana spoke up again.  
“You do it then.”  
“What?” She squealed. “Maybe I also have a boyfriend!”  
“Do you?” Vilde asked softly.  
“No, bu-”  
“Then it's settled, you flirt with Chris,” Sana decided, grabbed Elin's phone from her pocket. “Hey! Stop, what are you going? He doesn't even know me, he only met Eva!”  
“Yes but he undressed you with his eyes when he walked by and winked at Eva,” Sana said in a plain tone as if it was the most mundane thing she had ever said. She began to type something on Elin's phone and she cursed for not having a password on her phone.  
“Do you know his instagram?” Vilde asked, leaning over Sana's shoulder to see what she was doing.  
Completely ignoring her, Sana started going through his pictures and liked every single of them despite Elin's vocal protesting and she only stopped because she took her phone back.  
“Stop it!” Elin almost screamed. “This is stupid, I'm a stranger to him and I would never stalk a boy on instagram, if I want to speak to someone I do it face to face.”  
“Even better, go talk to him!” Vilde said, rejoicing at Elin's seemingly willingness to participate in their plan to mingle with the 97 boys. She was smiling so wide it was hard to refuse and crush her hopes and dreams. Elin groaned and swallowed back her harsh comment about how inappropriate it was to manipulate people and use her phone without asking her first.  
“I don't make any promises!” She eventually declared, pointing a warning finger toward her friends. God, if Noora was here at least she would have some kind of support, surely she wouldn't agree with Sana's shady methods.  
“Whatever, when he writes you, flirt with him,” Sana said before stating that she had to go to class. The group split up quickly, but not before Eva offered one last apologetic and also grateful glance to Elin, who sighed before turning around and going home.  
No later than two hours after the instagram like-spamming, Elin received a text. Not an instagram DM, a text. From an unknown number. It said “Thanks for the likes. Never had a stalker before,” and if Elin wasn't so outraged that he got her phone number from someone else than her, she would have thought of a witty comeback, but she simply took a deep breath and flirted back, like the girls wanted her to. She wrote back something along the lines of “Glad it caught your attention, I was already hiding in a bush outside your house, ready to throw rocks at your window”, and she read it again and again, finding it more stupid every time but still hit send. His answer was immediate: “Haha, is it weird that I'm both scared and turned on?”  
“Perv,” Elin muttered in her scarf as she tucked her phone in her pocket and opened the door to her house. She will answer later, she couldn't let him think that he had her full, undivided attention, or he would get the wrong idea – which is, that he matters at all.  
It took him less than an hour to invite Elin and her friends to the Penetrators' upcoming party, and one week flash-forward, they were there.

*

Elin, despite being everything but a soft-hearted, virginal, clueless little girl, was shocked upon seeing Vilde – who admitted being virgin last week when Elin announced that they were officially invited – throw herself at William and made out with him like it was a matter of life and death. It was like witnessing a car crash – she couldn't tear her eyes away from the wreck. Her friend Chris was somewhere flirting with a 97 guy while keeping an eye on Vilde and her shenanigans. Noora was out of sight and Eva was in the middle of a drinking contest with two older boys – and she was winning apparently?  
Elin headed toward the table with all the drinks on it and tried to make something remotely tasteful with all the liquors there was – as long as it wasn't beer, beer tastes gross. Now here she was, sitting crossed legged on a lonely stool in a corner, next to the drinks table, continuously tugging at the hem of her dress which kept sliding up her thighs and feeling like she was wasting her night. She had spotted a guy or two who didn't look half bad and she was currently eenie meenie miney moing internally to decide which one she would chat up when she was rudely interrupted.  
“Here you are,” Chris – Schistad, not her friend Chris of course – said as he leaned against the wall next to her. Elin congratulated herself for choosing the only seat with no other flat surface nearby to sit on. “I was beginning to think that your friends came without you,” he immediately began to flirt, shooting her a smirk that, no doubt, made girls swoon and melt at the sight of it.  
Elin snorted and detached her gaze from Vilde and William, “more like they dragged me here!”  
Chris' smile didn't waver at her attempt to dismiss him. Could she be even more straight-forward about not wanting to be here? Instead of feeling insulted, he shrugged it off and looked where she directed her gaze with such intensity seconds before. His eyes landed on his best friend making out with one of her friends.  
“Oh I see, you like to watch,” he teased her. Elin closed her eyes and took a breath before answering because he was the single most infuriating person she ever had the displeasure to meet. Therefore she was oblivious to Chris' eyes eating her up, slowly taking in every little detail about her, from the tip of her long brown hair to her bare legs crossed at the ankle and finishing on strappy heels, not to mention everything in between. He particularly enjoyed her soft, round curves; from her small waist to the bottom of her body, she was one, smooth, S-shaped curve that only 1950's pin up drawing could achieve. Actually, she was a lot more feminine than her friends, almost like she was older. He would have to investigate.  
“Don't you have anything better to do than drool all over me?” Elin suddenly asked and seemingly burst Chris' little bubble. His eyebrows shot up at that.  
“If you don't want me to look at you, then you probably shouldn't look like that,” he said. “Besides looking is harmless.”  
Elin scoffed, “Yeah, sure, next time I'll make sure to wear a potato sack.”  
“I didn't head anything after 'next time'. Does this mean you'll come see me again?” He asked flirtatiously.  
She finally looked at him, and Elin's intense stare was met with an equally sharp one. Chris, behind his shallow exterior, obviously knew what he was about, his eyes were calculating, he stance was a practiced one: not so close as to invade Elin's personal space but too close for her to ignore him completely, just casually enough to seem detached and nonthreatening, but also imposing because he stood tall while she sat on a chair, and Elin couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that he used all his mad game skills on her. Out of all the people here who'd be willing to give in to him, he targeted the one who wasn't.  
“To see you?” She mocked, her laugh sharp and cutting. “I can't decide if it's more ridiculous or pretentious of you, but either way it's definitely wrong.”  
“I'm pretentious?” Chris asked, genuinely surprised, his hand flying to his chest in a mock-dramatic fashion. “At least I'm not sitting in a corner, brooding and watching everyone from under my cute little nose like a snob. Besides, you're the one who spammed my instagram with likes!” He pointed out, growing tired of her behavior.  
“No I didn't, it was Sana. The girls wanted me to flirt with you so that you'd invite us to your party,” you state flatly, in hopes to deflate his gigantic ego. Once again, he didn't react the way she'd hoped. “It doesn't bother you? That you were just a means to an end?”  
“Not really,” Chris said, shrugging and shoving his hands in his pockets. “It's a little surprising and weird to be on this side of the barrier but it feels refreshing.” He smiled as if Elin had just said something sweet?  
Elin set her empty glass on the table next to her and stood up. She was at eye-level with Chris thanks to her heels. If he wanted to play then so be it. She was going to play, and she was going to win too. A smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth, Elin leaned in to whisper something in Chris' ear, making sure to have her breasts brush against his chest and strategically placing her hand on his shoulder.  
“One last thing, I might have flooded you with likes, but at least I didn't hunt down your phone number. Now who's the stalker again?” She giggled and squeezed his shoulder before spinning on her heels and walking away, making a bee line for the blond guy who had made eye contact with her earlier, and she chat him up. As soon as she came into his view, he dumped his friends and enthusiastically began to talk with Elin, until she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in for a kiss. Chris was still bewildered by how this girl just turned the situation around to her advantage and was now being pressed against a wall, with another boy's tongue down her throat.  
No, Christoffer Schistad had ever had a real challenge up until Elin arrived, and so sooner had she turned him down, he decided that she would be his challenge.

*

It was honestly no surprised to Elin when the next Monday at school the guy whom she hooked up with at the party didn't even dare meet her gaze and she was more than certain than it had nothing to do with him being a complete jerk who didn't acknowledge his female conquests – he actually seemed like a decent person, but eh-  
Elin sat down next to Noora and Eva in class, and they made small talk and told her everything she had missed Friday night – due to her being too busy with the guy (whose name she couldn't remember) in the guest room. Apparently Vilde had gotten her way with William in the end, and it was a shock to Elin. She hadn't given enough credit to her friend!  
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out, reading the incoming text discretely so her friends and the teacher wouldn't see it.  
**From Fuckboi™ :**  
 **I see no PDAs today ??**  
And it was straight up followed by another :  
**Anton not interested anymore ? Accompanied by a winking emoji.**  
It took all of Elin's willpower not to snort out loud in the middle of a History class, but she managed to keep quiet.  
**To Fuckboi™ :**  
 **Oh he seemed very interested in me until you intervened.**  
Elin sent the message and waited. She had exactly zero evidence of what she just said but she knew. It wasn't her first rodeo and she was aware of being out of Anton's (it was his name apparently) league. If he didn't want her anymore, it was because of an external factor.  
**From Fuckboi™ :**  
 **What makes you think I care who you shag ?**  
 **To Fuckboi™ :**  
 **I know you do. Are you denying ?**  
It took him a little longer to answer this one, and it wasn't up until the end of class that Elin's phone buzzed again.  
 **From Fuckboi™ :**  
 **Wouldn't you want to know, eh ?**  
She rolled her eyes at his antics. He obviously did it, but unwilling to admit it, he was going to answer her questions with other questions until she gave up. Elin didn't need further confirmation of her suspicions. Chris threatened the poor Anton and forbid him to approach her. She was new to the Norwegian way of life since she had lived in France most of her life and only came back this year like Noora, but she figured out Chris was at the top of the food chain right behind William, and when he told you to keep away from a girl, you obeyed, that's it.  
He was used to play girls like violins, and it was high time someone put him back in his place and told him a big fat 'no'. No matter how hot he was, it didn't compensate for his shitty attitude in the least.  
**From Fuckboi™:**  
 **Go out with me.**  
 **To Fuckboi™:**  
 **I'm sorry, was that a question? Because the answer is in your dreams.**  
 **From Fuckboi™:**  
 **Please?**  
Alright, Elin was willing to admit that she didn't not expect that. Her fingers flew over the keyboard for a while, pondering what to answer, but he was faster than her.  
**From Fuckboi™:**  
 **NVM wrong person.**  
Well, that settled it, and Elin's opinion of him – which faintly improved with his former text – reached new lows. Of course she didn't believe him. No one sends a message to the wrong person twice in a row. He must have chickened out of asking her out. Though she couldn't exactly blame him since she turned him down again, but she didn't give a damn either. As long as he stopped bothering her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell how long this is going to be, but this part is already significantly longer than the first one, and I had to split it in two because the last scene is not over just yet.

He did stop bothering her (sort of). At least, directly. His behavior still bothered her though, and Elin was ready – and more than willing – to break his legs next time she saw him go anywhere near Eva. That jerk had to go and fuck around with her friends – the next best option to her and to get on her nerves? - and now Eva had continuous fights with Jonas. All of that because Chris felt like kissing Eva. It was fucked up enough on his part to do this knowing he was in a relationship but now that Elin knew he was too, she felt like snapping his neck. She wasn't a violent person, but she was very imaginative and was dreaming about various ways to get back at him.  
Also – and this was difficult for her to admit – she felt a little cheated because he had seemed so adamant to win her over. Being wrong didn't happen often to Elin (though it still occurred to her more frequently than to Sana) and whenever it did happen, it was always a huge shock to her. Had she misinterpreted Chris' intentions toward her? No, he did ask her out. It's not like she could have made it up, it was still on her phone. Truth be told, Elin was furious – like out of her mind furious – and not just because her pride was wounded, but because Chris used Eva to get to her, and she was also mad because he cheated on his girlfriend, who was completely oblivious to the situation and didn't deserve this. Just to mess with him, and to make things clear, Elin pulled out her phone and quickly typed a message.  
**To Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
 **Wanna meet up tonight? ;)**  
He couldn't have answered any faster if he were waiting for her text.  
**From Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
 **Your place or mine? (with the eggplant emoji, of course)**  
 **To Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
 **NVW wrong person :)**  
When Elin was sure that her smiley face couldn't be interpreted in any other way than being sarcastic, she hit send. At the very least this brought an end point to Elin's internal monologue. Chris simply was a player. A misogynistic (how else could she call someone with so little respect for women?) asshole, who liked to collect girls like trophies and cared little about their feelings. Elin wasn't worried about her own feelings, but hell if she was going to let him play with Eva.  
**From Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
 **That was a low blow.**  
 **To Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
 **I play at your level.**  
When Chris read this last text, he saw red. Equally impressed and insulted, he locked his phone and tossed it on his bed. Who did she think she was? How could she resist him like that? Chris would have considered her liking girls if he hadn't seen her screw one of his friends. William said he had a similar problem with Noora, but Chris quickly dismissed the possibility of actually liking Elin – which was William's case, he literally couldn't shut up about Noora anymore. Elin wasn't likeable. She was bold, proud, uninhibited, aware of her beauty and competitive. But she as hot and her confidence was a plus. She was desirable. Chris couldn't remember when this tacit game began between the two of them, but it become increasingly obvious that they were playing a sick game. And the first one to give in to the other was going to win. In Chris' humble opinion, she stood no chance.  
The next time they talked face to face happened two weeks later – two weeks scattered with daily pickup lines Chris sent her, daily rejections on her part, and very active flirting going on on both sides, just not with each other. He could see her talk, smile, laugh, touch, flirt with other guys all day long. She did it shamelessly, not caring if he the guy she targeted wasn't alone, she wasn't afraid to make the first move, or to be rejected. Elin was – and it took Chris everything he had in him to admit that – his female alter ego. The word was that she hooked up with most of the guys he had seen her with, and soon she had a reputation. Not a good one. Although Chris never really gave it a piece of mind, he realized how discriminatory it was that she was called bad names and he was praised, despite both of them doing the same thing.  
One day, between two lame pickup lines, Chris sent her a **Don't listen to them** , because he overheard a group of girls call her bird names while she walked by, looking impressively calm and collected. **They are just jealous** , he texted her.  
Not even Chris knew what he meant by that. Were they jealous of her success? Were they jealous of people like them who easily got their way with the opposite gender? Were they jealous because Elin was a thousand times more than they could ever be? She was prettier, smarter and since she was the one suffering being bullied in silent dignity, she was also overall worth more than those girls.  
**From Elin:**  
 **I don't need to be comforted.**  
A smile cracked his face in two, and Chris leaned against the wall behind him to distance himself from his group of friends and the conversation, and typed something back.  
**To Elin:**  
 **You wanna know what's beautiful? Read the first word again.**  
His own corniness made him cringe and smile at the same time, and although he had already sent his daily pickup line (today's was: I'm not a photographer, but I can picture me and you together.)  
**From Elin:**  
 **Exactly how many of those do you know? How long will I have to endure this?**  
 **To Elin:**  
 **Can't tell, I come up with one on the spot.**  
 **From Elin:**  
 **Game at its finest.**  
 **To Elin:**  
 **But it made you smile, just admit it already.**  
 **From Elin:**  
 **Maybe...**  
Chris wasn't going to push his luck and left it at that, with the warm feeling that he had just won a battle.  
“Hey Chris,” William called his name and he had to look up from his phone. He hadn't even realized he was staring at their conversation. “What are you doing? It's time to go.” Apparently, the bell rang moments ago, and he was too caught up in his exchange with Elin to notice.  
He didn't speak to her again after that (apart from the pickup line, that is) until the day he accidentally ran into her – literally. For a while now, the Penetrators were targeted by the Yazukas, who kept provoking them, and William feared that they would screw with their Russ bus. Fate had them meet at the park one Saturday afternoon, and what was bound to happen happened: a fist fight. Chris wasn't the first to throw a punch, but he was definitely the first to receive one since he stepped between one of the Yakuzas guys and William to defend his friend. The punch he saw coming though, and he took it. What he didn't see was that he had a spectator.  
Elin was walking in town, a bag of groceries hanging in the inside of her elbow, her hair swaying from side to side as she moved her head to some tune she was humming. She was in an inexplicable good mood today. No class, no homework this week, no nothing, not even Chris – had he finally given up or did he simply run out of pickup lines to send her? She was almost getting used to wake up to one of those by now. Not that she missed it. It was so lame.  
She had almost reached her car when she heard shouts coming from somewhere on her left. Elin frown and unlocked her car while looking over her shoulder, but she saw nothing. She put the groceries on the backseat and shut the door, locking the car and heading towards the source of the voices. Was someone getting attacked? Did she have something to defend herself? The pepper spray in her bag was always ready to use but she's rather just stay at a distance and call the police if something serious was going on.  
The closer she got, the clearer it became that there was a fight and when Elin recognized one of the two groups, she felt the might urge to facepalm and turn around. But then, that stupid boy had to get punched, and Elin gasped, bringing both her hands over her mouth to stifle it. Fists flew and shouts and cheering ensued, Elin had no idea what to do or how much time had passed when she eventually heard police sirens, but it made them all freeze on the spot, fist raised.  
Suddenly, they all separated, running in different directions and splitting up to make it more difficult for the cops to catch them all. Chris was the last one to run. He was the most hurt and he was still lying on the ground, groaning painfully when all the other had already disappeared. The girl pondered whether or not she should go and help him – at the risk of being involved with a fight if the police came here before they could leave – or just go. By the time she had made her choice, Chris was already up and he ran. Straight toward her, though he couldn't see her because she was partly hidden behind a tree, and when he finally caught sight of her it was too late, their bodies collided and they both fell to the ground in a muffle thud and tumbled down the hill a couple meters.  
“Elin?!” Chris shouted, looking bewildered.  
“What the hell Chris?” She cursed, quickly jumping to her feet and landing him a hand to help him up. “Quick, quick, get up!”  
“The cops are here, run!” He told her and for some reason, she not only obeyed but grabbed his forearm and began to pull him forward so he would follow her.  
“No, my car's over there!” She told him when he began to run in another direction, pointing toward her Rover.  
They ran and ran and no one said anything until they were both inside the car and Elin had drove off. Her heart hammered in her chest and she was breathless, but at least they made it. She didn't even know if it was overreacted or not, but Chris seemed to have calmed down now that he was sure not to end up at the police station.  
“What happened?!” Elin asked in a shrill, demanding voice that perfectly conveyed the idea that she would not take silence for an answer. Chris winced because of his split lip, but answered anyway.  
“The Yakuzas happened.”  
“The Japanese mafia?” Elin frowned.  
“What? No! The Russ crew from another school! They were looking for a fight and they were going to hit William so I stepped in. You're sitting next to a hero,” he said, smirking despite being beaten and bruised. He was going to have a black eye, Elin could already see it. “Ah shit, I can't smile, my entire face hurts!”  
“Oh c'mon! I've never seen you smile anyway, all you do is smirk because think it's charming,” she scoffed, turning left. “Where do you live?” She asked.  
“It is charming!” He objected. “Don't you know? I thought you were hiding in my bushes, ready to throw rocks at my window.”  
“I was asking to be polite,” she replied sarcastically, shooting him a fake smile. “You look like shit, Chris.”  
“And yet I still look better than that guy you made out with the other day,” he told her, squinting his eyes at her.  
“Peter?” She asked.  
“No Hektor!”  
“Oh so you know all of them?” She laughed.  
“Well, I have to know their names to blacklist them.” Chris shrugged, he look outside. “I can't go home like this, my mom will flip!”  
Elin remained silent for a few minutes, but there really was only one thing to do in this situation.  
“It's alright, you can clean up at my place,” she sighed, already regretting her decision. It caught Chris' attention.  
“Are we going to play doctor?” He smirked (again!) and raised an eyebrow, although he quickly stopped because it probably hurt like hell.  
“Shut up!” She barked, although with a bit of fondness in her voice. “I can be your nurse as long as there's no stitching involved. I can't even sew a button on a jacket, let alone a person!”  
“What about yours parents flipping?” He asked carefully.  
Elin licked her lips before reluctantly saying, “I- I don't live with my parents. They stayed in France. I have a studio not far from here.”  
Chris didn't know what to answer, so he said “cool,” but then he wondered if it really was, or if she was lonely. They reached her place under five minutes and he followed her out of the care and up to the third floor, carrying her groceries for her – he insisted, even if she wasn't keen on accepting anything coming from him.  
“I didn't know you're from France,” he said, to break this thickening and sickening silence.  
“I was born in Norway, then we moved to France,” she explained concisely.  
“Why did you come back?” He inquired.  
“I heard there was an irredeemable heartthrob called Chris living here, so I moved right away, no second thought,” Elin replied, half playful half annoyed by his questions.  
“Sounds legit,” he laughed, a little disappointed because he didn't get an answer. “I've never been called 'an irredeemable heartthrob', it almost sounds like a compliment.”  
“Only you can take that as a compliment,” Elin said and took the grocery bag from him, before putting it away.  
She removed her shoes and coat and he did the same, then she led him to her bathroom, where she stored her first aid-kit.  
“You have an awesome car by the way,” he said. “Not awesome like William's, but still.”  
“Do you have to diffuse the situation after you tell a compliment because you don't know how to be genuinely kind or are you just scared I might think you're nice?” She almost spat at him. “Normal people can say 'I like your car' to someone without dragging them right after.”  
“Alright. I like your car. Period.”  
“Thank you,” Elin said, smiling in satisfaction.  
“Why do you have a car so big though?” He kept on asking questions, and honestly, if it meant he didn't try to hit on her while she sat him down on the edge of the bathtub and cleaned him up, then she might just answer.  
“My dad said that a girl who lives alone should have a car so big she can run over a guy if needed,” she said point-blank.  
Chris' eyes widened and he hissed when Elin touched his face with the alcohol drenched cotton to clean his wound. He had a gash running across his face, from the inner corer of his right eye to the left corner of his mouth. Maybe he would have a scar, who knew? It didn't look too deep but it still oozed blood. His left eye was already black, he cut his eyebrow and his lower lip was split. Actually Elin felt bad for him, he was in such a poor state that she felt guilty for being so severe with him all the time.  
“I seriously cannot tell if you're messing with me right now,” he admitted, and it made her laugh genuinely.  
“It's true, I'm not always sarcastic you know?” She felt the need to add. “You just manage to bring out my worst side!”  
“Lucky me,” he said in a tone that she could only qualify as sad. “It's the first real conversation we have.”  
“Don't ruin it, or I'll give you another black eye,” she warned him, brushing her hair back over her shoulder so it wasn't in her face.  
“I must be a terrible person if you hate me this much,” he laughed bitterly, obviously not finding it funny at all. He sounded wounded - and not physically.  
Elin let her arm drop to her lap and she fumbled with the cotton, putting it in a small ball. He noticed she was avoiding his eyes, but at least she was laughing at him.  
“I don't hate you, you profound cretin!” She told him, a faint smile giving away that she didn't mean the cretin part. “You're just behaving like a douche and you're unusually good at stepping on each and every last one of my nerves.”  
“You can't curb talent,” he chuckled, and the girl went back to work. “I stopped talking to Eva, like you wanted.”  
Elin nodded in response, acknowledging that he had done the right thing but not having anything to say to that.  
“You could use it on someone else occasionally, it would give me a break,” Elin laughed in spite of who she was with.  
He was a decent conversationalist when he didn't constantly try to play the asshole part.  
“But you're the only person who answers me. Your comebacks are on point,” he said, closing his left eye. It looked like it was swelling a bit.  
“Wait, I'll get you some ice to put on your eye.”  
When she got up and headed to the kitchen to get ice, Chris took the opportunity to unzip his sweater and take a look at his ribs. His entire left side hurt like hell! His shirt was covered in blood at the collar from his nosebleed, but there was also a more worrying stain of blood on his ribs. Right as he lifted up his shirt and stood up to take a closer look in the mirror, Elin entered the bathroom, and she gasped at the sight of the long cut than ran over his ribs, and the forming bruise.  
“Chris!” She said, handing his the bag of ice which he put on his eye. “Why didn't you show me this sooner?!” She scolded him and made him sit down and strip.  
“I knew you wanted my body,” he joked, ignoring the pain.  
How much pain could he take before admitting that it hurt. She helped him get his shirt over his head when it became obvious that he couldn't lift his left arm too high since he hurt too much and then made him sit down again. Elin pulled her stool closer and started to inspect his new found cut.  
“Your pride is going to kill you one day,” she warned him in this motherly tone that girls used on reckless boys who got into fights.  
“But I'm counting on you to patch me up and kiss my wounds,” he joked and hissed once again. Shit, that one stung!  
“Will you stay still?!” She ordered and he complied, not willing to fight her today. Although she was pretty cute when she was mad.  
“You're a bit bossy, aren't you? It's kinda hot,” he said, unable to repress his usual comments.  
She glared at him from under her lashes and poked his side all the while making eye contact with him.  
“That hurt!” He protested. “Why did I say to deserve that? I told you you're hot!”  
“Oh my bad, I must have heard wrong because I thought you called me bossy,” she snarled and put a gauze on the gash. He hissed again.  
“What now?” She asked. Surely she didn't accidentally hurt him, she was being cautious.  
“Your hands are cold,” he simply said. “Hey, I've been meaning to ask you-”  
“Shut up.”  
“But I-”  
“I said shut up, I need to clean the gash on your lip Chris, you need to stop talking so much,” Elin explained and he obeyed.  
As soon as she was done with him, the talking resumed.  
“How old are you? You don't look like... the other girls,” he said, trying not to say anything that might upset her.  
“I'm from 97 like you,” Elin simply stated while putting away her first-aid kit. That too was an idea of her father, but she had never thought she would have to use it on a guy she couldn't stand. Or could she?”  
“But why are you in eleventh grade then?”  
“I'm not.” Elin frown. “I'm in twelfth grade. I should be in your year, can you imagine that? But my Norwegian was a tad rusty so I thought it might be better to take it slow.”  
“And you still hang out with Vilde and the others?” Chris wondered, both his eyebrows shooting so far up they were hidden behind his hair.  
“Yes, they are nice. And since I came late I didn't have any Russ group and they invited me,” Elin explained and shrugged. “Don't you have friends younger than you?”  
“Well, I thought I did until two seconds ago,” he chuckled. It was funny how he still tried to be flirty and charming despite having a bag of ice plastered on his face, hiding the entire left side of it.  
“You and I? Friends?” Elin almost choked on thin air.  
“What else would you call us?”  
“I don't know, acquaintances?”  
“Ouch!” Chris faked to be hurt by her words and she laughed at his dramatic gesture. “I cheered you up after those awful girls were mean to you!”  
She was going to go for a classic but efficient “I didn't need it” or “you're just trying to get in my pants!” but she couldn't say it. He was being sort of alright at the moment, and he had been hurt and she simply couldn't bring herself to say anything mean right now. As long as he remained civilized so would she.  
“And I appreciate it,” she conceded.  
He thought she was about to add something but she didn't. Elin stayed quiet and just looked at him – it was not like he minded and he was doing the same. It was as though she hadn't really seen him before today, and even in the horrendous light of her bathroom, tattered, beaten, bruised and with this bag of ice, he still looked better than he had any other day, when he was smirking and winking at every girl who dared looking his way, and pretended to be an absolute jerk – that she suddenly realized, he was not. A comfortable silence settled in until Chris broke it.  
“You're so beautiful you made me forget my pickup line,” he said, the ludicrous sentence making both of them grin like idiots, and there Elin thought he had forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

“I was waiting for a good occasion to use this one.”  
“C'mon,” she said, not commenting on the cheesy line he just served her. “Give me this, the ice's melted,” she told him, taking back the bag. His eye seemed to be normal again, at least it didn't swell too much.  
Chris reminded her that he had to leave and get home. He had promised he would watch after his little sister tonight so his parents could go to the cinema. He saw her expression change when he mentioned his family, as if she thought he would just go home and play Xbox or go partying as soon as he left.  
“Do you want a clean shirt?” She asked.  
“And wear something one of your one night stands forgot? No thanks,” he declined, a bit offended that she would want to lend him that.  
“No, dummy,” she said, smacking his head. “I have a couple men shirts because I sleep in them.”  
“Shouldn't this be the other way around? You're supposed to wear my clothes,” he told her playfully as they exited the bathroom.  
“Do you want it or not?” She insisted.  
“Yeah, alright. Can't hurt to not be covered in blood when my mom's going to open the door.”  
He winced at the thought, as if he had bitten in a sour lemon. He didn't go so far as so follow her in her room, though it was not the lack of envy that made him stay in the living room/kitchen. She came back with a black X-Men shirt, and Chris gave her a pointed look. She shrugged as if saying 'What? Can't a girl sleep in her comics merch?' and he put it one. It was a little too large for a fit guy like Chris, but it was soft – and it smell sweet, which didn't hurt.  
“Alright, thank you for everything,” he said, smiling – maybe it was the first time it wasn't a forced smirk with obscure motivations. “I should be home on time if I walk through the park and-”  
“What are you talking about?” She laughed, as she grabbed her coat. “I'll drive you.”  
He seemed taken aback and didn't answer right away.  
“You're hurt and stubborn like you are, you might get into another fight if I let you out alone,” she explained. He could tell it wasn't the real reason.  
He gathered his wits and said, “You just really want to know where I live!”  
“Guilty,” Elin laughed.  
It was hard to word how fucking pleased Chris was to be able to make her laugh and not just receive bitter snarls and icy answers from her. He felt like he was the winner today, no matter how broken his face. The two of them drove quietly, just listening to Elin's music and relaxing after an eventful afternoon. Chris thought of many things to do, or say, but he didn't find any. Were he with any other girl, he's slip his hand on her thigh, or sweet talk to her, but not with her. She wasn't there yet, she was... something between a friend, a rival and a girl he wanted to sleep with. There was no word for that, and there certainly wasn't a relationship advice book that covered their situation. He would simply have to figure it out himself.  
Soon, they were parked in front of Chris' massive house. And despite the ridiculous size of it, the first thing that Elin noticed was...  
“There aren't even any bushes! Who doesn't have bushes in their yard?” She asked him, puzzled.  
“My parents apparently,” he laughed. “Thanks for the ride.”  
When he opened the door to get out, Elin did the same.  
“What are you doing?” He gave her a confused smile, hoping she would say something along the lines of 'i'm coming inside with you and we'll have wild, fun sex all night', but that was aiming too high, even for Christoffer Schistad.  
“I'm saving your ass, one last time today,” she said, gesturing him to come. They walked up the paved path leading to his door step and she rang the bell.  
“Are you sure you've never been here before?” He asked.  
Elin smiled but the door opened before she could say anything. There stood a woman wearing a stunning evening dress, and busy putting on an earring.  
“Ah Christoffer, you're here! We thought you forg-” she stopped when she saw him, her eyes switching between his face and the girl standing next to him, most definitely wondering where she should start.  
“Good evening Madam,” Elin said when no one seemed to be willing to start this conversation, least of all Chris. “My name's Elin, I go to school with Chris.”  
“Oh... Well, it's nice to meet you. I haven't met any of Chris' friends beside William, it's good so see he has more than one,” she teased her son, and Elin decided she liked her. “Dear god, what happened?” She suddenly asked, apparently having recovered from the initial shock.  
“I-” he began, but truly, he didn't know what to say.  
“It's my fault,” Elin said, making him almost twist his neck when he turned to her, trying not to look too surprised in front of his mom.  
She looped her arm around his and looked up at him before continuing, “a group of boys were following me in the street and when one of them grabbed me by the arm, Chris stepped in and it turned into a fight,” she explained, her voice smooth and natural, as if she had practice the lie.  
No one could tell she was lying. Chris' mom ate up her words, looking fondly at her son, like a proud mother would.  
“I was lucky he was early to our date,” she then declared and this time Chris had to put actual efforts into playing cool. “I patched him up the best I could, I hope he's not late, he told me he was watching his sister tonight?” Elin said, her voice laced with affection and care. He had never heard her use this voice with anyone.  
“Yes, but we can stay home if-”  
“No!” Chris exclaimed. He had to speak or this conversation would keep deviating and they didn't want their lie to be put to light, now would they? “No, it's fine. You and dad go see that movie, I'm fine. Elin did a great job,” he said, placing his hand over hers and gently stroking it.  
“I'm glad you're both safe,” his mom said. “I'll go get your dad and we'll be on our way. Of course you can stay Elin.”  
“Thank you but I still have work to do.”  
Chris couldn't believe how genuinely sorry she looked when saying that, and even though it was hard for him to admit it, there was no denying that he might just have found his master in the art of lying.  
“I'll go now,” she said to Chris, turning to plunge er eyes into his but letting go of his arm. She brought her fingers to his face and gently bushed her fingers against his cheek. “Take care alright? I'll see you in class.”  
This was not going to end like this, he thought. If she was going to mess with him like this in front of his own mother, than so be it, but she wouldn't be the only one having fun, even if he couldn't exactly complain.  
“Sure, sleep tight, don't work too late,” he ushered against her ear before placing a swift kiss on her lips. She didn't pull back but he saw the surprise and the outrage painted all over her features as she began to walk away, going back to her car. This brought back his infamous smirk. He was proud of himself. She was going to run him over with her Range Rover, but it was worth it.

*

Within the five minutes span that lasted the conversation between Elin, Chris and his mom she decided that maybe she did hate him after all. This presumptuous little shit just never lost his bearings, if she wasn't on guard at all times, he was going to swoop her off he feet – with or without her permission. Elin figured it would be counterproductive to kill him now that she had healed him, but she would take revenge otherwise.  
The next morning she woke up to “ **When I first saw you I looked for a signature, because every masterpiece has one.** ” For some reason, it angered her. Who did he think he was? He couldn't be so hot and cold all the time, it was messing with Elin's head! And when Elin's head was a mess, she had one solution: sex. It worked all the time. For starters, she will stop talking to Chris, for anything other than to crush down his hopes of ever jumping her and drag him for using cheesy pickup lines. She got up, showered, and then texted back.  
**To Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
 **You're not supposed to touch the art.**  
 **From Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
 **But I can admire it from afar...**  
 **To Ultimate Fuckboi™:**  
**Or you could just fuck off and find some other girl to bother**  
The last one was a bit harsh, and Elin hesitated before sending it, but she needed him to understand that she wasn't in the mood. She was furious, she was upset beyond words and the worst of all was that she had no idea if it was because she hated that he kissed her, or because she liked it. She will figure it out eventually, in the meantime she wanted nothing to do with him.  
Unbeknownst to her, on the other and of this exchange was a startled Chris, who wondered what he did to make Elin mad like that. He was about to ask her if everything was okay, but the way she dismissed him so rudely vexed him and he decided against it. Fuck her! Fuck it!  
Whatever happened between them yesterday was clearly over, and frankly, neither of them could tell if it really happened like they recall it, or if they imagined it all.

*

Another Friday night, another party. Almost a week since the last time Elin and Chris talked. Chris had settled down from his fit of anger and had resumed this daily pickup line routine, in hope to get a positive reaction from the girl he was so desperately running after – because what else should he call it? It did not elicit anything positive, day after day, she kept on turning him down and demolishing his cheesy puns and food-related compliments. Sometimes he waited until first period to text her something like “Did you go to bed early last night? From the looks of it, you got your beauty sleep,” or “There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can't take them off you.” But she only looked at her phone with disdain and scoffed before ignoring the text. She always ignored it for an hour or two before giving Chris the time of her day to answer him. If she thought he was going to give up, Elin was gravely mistaken.  
And apart from this new found icy atmosphere between them, Chris was also constantly reminded of her because his mom asked him news. How is Elin? Will she come by again? Are you dating? It drove him up the wall, and he spent most of his time at William's just to avoid those questions.  
When Friday came around, he thought it was his chance: Elin would be here, at Eva's, she would have to talk to him at some point, right? She wasn't going to walk away simply because he wanted to make conversation.  
What Chris didn't expect was that she would be so hard to find. She kept slipping between his fingers and he was growing tired of chasing her around the entire fucking house – which as just so fucking big! They could have been playing chase in a maze and it wouldn't have much different from what they were doing know. He had seen her talk to boys and girls and laugh and drink – mostly drink, actually, Chris never deemed her to be the drinking kind, at least not like Eva, who was already dancing very suggestively and laughing out loud with her friends – but there she was, Elin and her new best friend, the bottle of vodka black dangling from her hand like another limb.  
“Elin!” Chris called her, and when her venomous stare met his, he froze on the spot.  
An emotion so powerful it set every last fiber of his being on fire washed over Chris, and suddenly, a surge of frustration and pettiness made him do what he would later regret: he grabbed the girl on his left by the waist and spun her around, immediately giving her an open-mouthed kiss, without detaching his eyes from Elin's cold ones. The girl turned around before he could see the hurt in her expression and stormed out of the room. The air was suffocating, there was too many people and she wasn't drunk enough to witness Chris suck off this random girl's face.  
“Fuck him!” She swore out loud, screaming really. Yet nobody heard her, the music was loud, people were drunk off their asses and too busy grinding their fellow dancer to notice the little tears at the corner of her eyes.  
Elin wiped them away, not caring about smudging her makeup. A little distraught, the girl realized her bottle was empty, and she headed toward the kitchen, grabbing a glass that stood on the counter and downing it, then she refilled it with anther liquor. She had no idea what it was, she couldn't focus enough to read what was written on the bottle, but it burnt her throat and did its job. The world was spinning around her, and the faces were too blurry to recognize any of them: which was the whole point, she didn't want to see Chris anymore, even if she had to go blind to achieve that.  
“Elin! What are you doing!” Noora came out of nowhere and swatted her drink out of her hand, letting it stain the floor. “You'll end up at the hospital if you keep this up!”  
“I'm fine!” Elin said, proud that her voice wasn't slurring. “I'm good now, I- I'm perfect,” she giggled. “Hey, have you seen... what's he called again?”  
“Chris?” Noora suggested, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Elin a pointed look.  
“Chris who?” Elin asked, all giggles and pretend-carelessness. “Not, that guy with the hair, and- and he's kinda tall too, you know which one!”  
“This cut down exactly zero guys Elin, they all have hair,” Noora replied in a motherly tone. “Stay here, I'll get your coat and I'll bring you home.”  
As soon as her friend left her, Elin ran the other way, as fast as her heels and the sticky floor allowed her to, and when she stepped out of the kitchen she bumped into someone.  
“Easy there!” A boy's voice said, and she left two hands on her shoulders steadying her.  
“Thank you!” She cooed, already leaning in, oblivious to who it was. “I love you,” she said, the alcohol making her emotions increase tenfold. She vaguely remembered the boy laughing and then dragging her behind him, and then everything became a blur. That is until she felt her back being pressed into a mattress, and the familiar weight of someone on top of her. Elin kept on giggling and tried to touch the guy but he grabbed her by the wrists and pinned them above her head. He wasn't being cautious and although she was far too gone to protest, she didn't enjoy what he did. It hurt a bit and it made her sober up rather impressively fast. When her eyes came into focus, the only thing she could see was Chris.  
Chris standing in the door frame, a red cup in one hand, the other on the doorknob, and a look of complete and utter betrayal and disbelief on his usually attractive features.


	4. Chapter 4

Chris standing in the door frame, a red cup in one hand, the other on the doorknob, and a look of complete and utter betrayal and disbelief twisting his usually attractive features. Elin felt the guy on top of her pound into her, and his face was buried in the crook of her neck, but the only thing she could do was stare at Chris. Their eyes were locked, and neither of them could look away. Until eventually, the stranger groaned, and Elin knew he was finished, and Chris slammed the door shut.

“Get off of me!” Elin suddenly demanded, pushing the guy off of her body and quickly pulling her skirt down and her panties on. She hurried out of the room, and searched every last room to find Chris – she had no clue why she was doing that, but the urge was too strong to fight it.

When she found him, he was making out with two girls simultaneously, kissing one after the other in the middle of the living room.

“There you are! I've been looking for you for the last twenty minutes, you worried me!” Noora came into view, placing herself between Elin and Chris, even though she was unaware of it. “Are you okay?” She asked softly, brushing a strand of Elin's hair behind her ear.

It was so long since anyone had touch this affectionate with her, and she was so utterly shitfaced that Elin practically burst into tears as she threw herself in the arms of her friend, clutching Noora against her for dear life.

“I don't want to go home and be alone in my flat,” she admitted. “Can you just stay with me for a little while so I can sober up?”

“Of course, Elin,” Noora replied in a soothing tone, rubbing her back in comfort. “Come with me, we'll get out some water and take some fresh air.”

 

*

 

Around two in the morning, the party started dying down, and most people left or drifted off on the couch. Chris had grown bored of the two girls in his arms as soon as Elin wasn't there to see him anymore. He wanted to hurt her. He wanted to make a feel a fraction of what he experienced when he opened that door and found her in that position with that pig – who would never be invited to a party ever again, in his entire school years, Chris would make damn sure of that.

He had to remind himself that this was all a game, and Elin was just playing, she was playing and winning, as far as Chris was concerned. She clearly had the upper hand if Chris couldn't even stand seeing her with someone else. What if she didn't even care seeing him with other girls? After all, she simply walked away with Noora while he hooked up with two second years. That was three hours ago, and now he was downright worried. It was a bad call, hooking up with those girls. It was a bad call fighting fire with fire, and he needed to find her. That's what he meant to do in the first place tonight: talk to her. Instead of that, he dug his own grave. There was no way she would ever want to be with him after that.

“Hey man, have you seen Elin?” Chris asked around him, to every person who seemed sober enough and awake enough to answer.

One of them eventually told him she went to the backyard and he rushed out of the room and towards the backdoor, finding her exactly there, sitting on the stairs leading to Eva's garden – Eva who passed out an hour ago in Vilde's arms.

He sat down next to her, quietly, although she still jumped in surprise. She was hugging her knees against her chest, her chin atop them, and she snuggled the Penetrators sweater like it was her survival blanket.

“Aren't you cold?” Was the best thing he could think of saying.

“I'm freezing,” she said calmly. It was like all the anger she felt towards him had vanished, as if tonight had served as catalyst for all their negative feelings. “But I don't want to go back.”

“I understand,” he said thoughtfully, placing his elbows on his knees and joining his hands. “What happened tonight, Elin?”

“Wish I knew,” she huffed, her voice cracking in the middle of the sentence, as if she had used it too much, or maybe it was the cold. The temperature was probably around five below. If they stayed here, they would catch their death. “Is Noora still here?”

“No, she left with William,” Chis informed her. “Why? Was she supposed to be your ride home?”

“No, I don't have a ride home. I didn't plan anything...” That last part didn't seem to be about the ride home, but Chris didn't comment on it.

“How drunk are you right now?” He asked.

“Hammered. My head hurts. I wish I was home,” she admitted reluctantly, finally looking at him. He was as much a mess as her, and they both looked miserable.

“I'm sorry-” they both started at the same time. They stared at each other, then smiled and Chris was the first to look away and shake his head.

“I never wanted you to see me like this,” Elin said. “I didn't even want to be in this position, it just... I- I mean... I'm sorry,” she rambled, definitely confused and too intoxicated to think straight.

“Wait what do you mean you didn't want it to happen? Did you force you?” Chris inquired, suddenly feeling his stomach make a knot and jump in an odd manner. If he accidentally stepped in on Elin being assaulted and walked away without doing anything, he would never forgive himself.

“No,” she said, reaching out and squeezing his hand. “I just... I guess I regret it. It was stupid, but at the moment I couldn't think of anything else to make you stop running after me.”

At that, he seemed to be able to breathe again. Thank god, nothing irreparable happened. They had hurt each other in cruel ways tonight.

“And I shouldn't have made out with those two girls as payback. I was.... whatever. I shouldn't have done it,” Chris said, looking at his hands. He was _hurt_. It hurt him to see Elin with someone else than him.

Silence settled in and Elin slowly shifted closer to him until their legs touched and she could lean her head on his shoulder. She told herself that this way, they would keep each other warm.

“I've rarely felt so stupid in my life,” she whispered against his shoulder. “I would have rather slept with you than this guy, but I can't take it back, now can I?”

“You really are shitfaced,” Chris laughed, his chest shaking from the action. “You won't think the same in the morning. Remember I'm an insufferable ass and an irredeemable heartthrob? Who would willingly spend sober time with me?” He said is a tone that betrayed the fact that he was only half joking.

“You still treat me better than most guys.”

He knew he should give any credit to what Elin said tonight, because she was drunk, tired and sad. In the morning he would text her a pickup line and she would answer with her usual bite, putting him back in his place. But he could enjoy this sweet side of her while it lasted, it wasn't like he was harming anyone. Other than himself that is.

“Don't get your knickers in a twist, princess,” he felt the need to diffuse the situation, unable to handle this relaxed, gentle atmosphere. It was too far out of his comfort zone. “It'll only last until I get in your pants. I'm not boyfriend material, even naive little Iben realized that and dumped me.”

As drunk as she was, Elin still had a little dignity felt, and this last sentence stung her pride and made her want to smack him upside the head for being such an ass in a sweet moment like this. The tension escalated quickly after that. Elin pulled away from him to look him in the eyes.

“Then why do you keep texting me cheesy stuff?” She asked accusingly.

“Why do you keep answering?” He shot back.

“You're doing it again!” Elin groaned, running both her hands through her hair in exasperation.

“What?” Chris asked, confused.

“You answer all of my questions with other questions! It's driving me crazy! And for your information, I keep answering you because I figured that since my silences are not enough to show you I'm not interested, than maybe my answers will be!” She seemed very sober to him right now.

“It doesn't matter. I want you, and I'll have you,” Chris stated confidently, successfully hiding his doubts behind downright cockiness.

“Why can't you accept that I don't like you?!” Elin almost screamed at him.

“You literally just admitted you'd rather have sex with me than this other guy!”

“Yeah because he was absolute trash!” She shouted back.

She was at the verge of tears, torn between anger and desperation. She never thought it would go so far as to get emotionally involved, but Chris had his good moments, and Elin couldn't ignore them, the same way she couldn't get past his bad ones.

“Listen,” Chris resumed more calmly. “You turn down Penetrator Chris, the cocky womanizer who cheated on his girlfriend and parties all the time. But there's more to me than that. I'll show you.”

“I don't want to get to know you,” the girl turned her head to avoid his gaze because she no longer had it in herself to uphold his gaze.

Chris was tempted to ask why, just to hear her say it. But since he already knew the answer and he was sure she wasn't going to voice it, he dropped the subject. After one last, lingering gaze and his signature smirk, he felt the girl alone, to her utmost relief because she was so on edge she could burst in tears. Elin wasn't very keen to admit it, but she as an angry crier. And no one on earth had Chris' ability to get under her skin.

“Do you need a ride home?” He asked in a ultimate attempt to not leave with Elin being mad at him. “I can give you a lif-”

“Don't bother, I'll stay here,” she spat at him. He saw her shoulders shake in a way that could only be provoke by tears.

As he walked away, his smirk dropped. Suddenly, he realized that he might never be able to seduce Elin, none of his tricks worked on her, because she knew them – worse, she used them! - and if he really wanted to win this game, he would have to rise to a whole new level. She might be physically drawn to him, desire him but he came to understand that it wasn't enough for her to overlook his shitty attitude, and the only reason she would ever give him a chance was if she truly liked him – _him_ , Chris.

 

*

 

He wanted to jump in his car and go see her, more than anything. Chris had fucked up and for the first time in the history of his life, he felt the irrepressible urge to fix things. He hoped he could still patch up the broken pieces of his weird relationship with Elin, because there really was no one else he wanted to spend his days and nights with.

Noora had figured it out before he came to the conclusion that he actually liked Elin, because that was just how observant girls were, and also because William might have complained about Chris always being in a bad mood whenever Elin seemed to have given her attention to someone that wasn't him.

Chris had carefully planned something during the whole of Saturday – and if it was up to him, he would have been at her door step this same day, but after the night she had, she was most definitely hangover and it was wiser to wait until Sunday.

Every other hour he texted her one of his stupid pickup lines, until she answered, a bit before noon.

**From Elin:**

**What are you doing?**

**To Elin:**

**Isn't it obvious?**

**From Elin:**

**From where I stand it looks like you're trying to get my attention, so now that you have it, tell me what you're up to or let me go back to sleep.**

**To Elin:**

**No going back to sleep! Get up, shower, get dressed, because in one hour I'm picking you up.**

**From Elin:**

**Don't boss me around. Try asking nicely and I'll think about it.**

Of course, what did he expect?

**To Elin:**

**Wear something warm ;)**

Upon receiving this text, Elin sighed and threw her comforter aside. Of course, what did she expect? Chris and his authoritativeness. Whatever he had planned to do this afternoon, Elin could only hope it would end better than Friday's party.

Surprisingly, she obeyed with only mild complaining and didn't even grumble out loud that much while getting ready and then waiting for Chris to show up.

Like promised, he was right on time, and when the doorbell rung, Elin took the minimum stuff like her phone, and keys and her wallet and stuffed them in the pockets of her coat, not wanting to carry her handbag around since she didn't know what kind of activities where on the program.

“Hey,” he greeted her in a rather sheepish way, which was a little bit out of character.

The very first thing Elin noticed was that his hair seemed messier than usual and his entire demeanor was significantly less tense and more relaxed than at school, when all eyes were on him. Then, of course, his face, still lightly bruised and scarred from last week's fight. Still, he looked fine, and in an inexplicable good mood.

“Hi,” she replied, “so what are we doing?”

He chuckled, his grin growing wider, and he licked his lips

“I'm taking you somewhere very special,” he announced.

“Do I have a saying in this?” Elin laughed raising an eyebrow.

“No, I'm kidnapping you for the day,” he replied, gesturing her to enter his car.

Chris' car was expensive and nice, and Elin felt a tad out of place, but at least in was warm and she could take off her coat and scarf, and Chris let her choose the music.

“So first things first,” he began as they drove through Oslo. “What do you remember from Friday?”

“Diving in head first, huh?” Elin hummed.

“Best to get it out of the way sooner than later,” he simply said.

The girl pushed her hair to the side and bit her lip to win some time and think about how to phrase it. Was there really a good way to say it? Chris' eyes kept switching between her and the road, and she could swear he stopped breathing in anticipation.

“There are a few holes I haven't filled in yet, but I remember the important parts,” she ended up saying.

“You remember what I told you before leaving?”

“I remember that we argued, and I said a lot of things that were unfair and mean on various degrees. I know I cuddled you at some point. Did- did we kiss?” She asked hesitantly, not really sure how he would take the fact that she had forgotten it if it happened.

“No,” he chuckled, the right corner of his mouth twitching as if he was suppressing a laugh.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Elin asked, narrowing her eyes.

“No, I just- alright, that night I promised you to show you the real me as opposed to the Chris you've known and seen so far, so I think it's best if we agree that today, we only tell the truth, yeah?” He asked her, waiting until Elin nodded in agreement before continuing. “No matter how embarrassing, no excuses. We makes things clear and stat over.”

“Yeah, okay,” Elin approved.

“Great. As I was saying, we didn't kiss. But I'm smiling because I could have. And trust me, I really wanted to, and you probably wouldn't even remember it, so I could have gotten away with it easily, but the idea that you wouldn't remember me kissing you didn't sit well in my stomach,” Chris stated, being true to his word. He didn't omit anything, no matter how embarrassing or hard to admit.

“Thank you,” she replied, a little confused with this new version of Chris, but not in the least complaining. “I only slept with... _Geez_ , I don't even know his name...” she said, blushing. “Anyway, I slept with him because I needed to get you out of my head, and although I only intended to make out with him so you would- well, see it and leave me alone, then he dragged me to a room, and I was too drunk to say no, and I thought 'whatever' but then, when you came in...”

Her voice stopped functioning at this point. Her throat constricted at the thought of what she was going to say, but she had to get it out. Chris waited expectantly.

“I pushed him off of me and I called you but by the time I found you, you were busy with the two second year girls, and then Noora found me and made me drink water. I don't know what happened between that moment and when you found me in the backyard.”

The weight of a hundred bricks lifted up from her shoulders, and _god damn_ , if she had suspected how good it would feel to simply tell the truth, she would have done it sooner.

“How do you feel?” Chris asked.

Elin almost cried out, “Lighter!” through unshed tears prickling her eyes. She swallowed them back. “Saying the truth is fucking terrifying!”

“Since we're making things even, can I ask you one last thing before we arrive?” Chris asked her, testing the water to make sure she wasn't backing away now.

“Shoot.”

“What were you doing at the park last week? Why did you help me?”

“I- I heard shouts and went to see if someone was being assaulted and needed help.” Elin's hair fell back in front of her face and she once again had to brush it back, then she looked toward Chris. His black eye slowly fading into purple, his gash across his nose, the almost healed split on his lip. “I was going to turn around when I saw it was a fight, but then he punched you, and everyone ran away when the sirens were heard, leaving you on the ground. So I stayed. I was going to come and help you when you ran into me.”

“Why?” He asked, giving her his full attention. She hadn't noticed that the car had stopped.

“You were hurt!” She said, matter-of-factly.

“You still could have walked away...”

“No,” she cut him off. “I would never have just walked away. I can't tell you why because I don't know, but it's just the way it is. If it were someone else who was hurt, I would've stayed. If you hadn't been hurt, I still wouldn't stayed and helped you get away from the cops.”

The irrepressible boyish grin growing on his face had nothing to do with the strategic little smirk he used on girls.

“Wow,” he said.

“What?”

“Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?”

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was supposed to be the last chapter but it's not haha enjoy!

 

Whether or not this was supposed to be a date or something else was the least of Elin's concerns. She was just glad she had chosen to wear jeans, because what Chris had in mind definitely require pants. He had brought her to a frozen lake. A bunch of people were there, mostly families, and they tried to make the small children cross the lake without slipping. To be perfectly honest she was quite impressed, because she hadn't given enough credit to Chris. He was capable of being imaginative when needed, and his idea of a date (or not?) wasn't limited to going to the movies and having ice cream or pizza afterward.

“So this is your very special place?”

Elin turned around, looking away from the lake and toward Chris. He was sitting on the edge of the car's trunk, which contained the ice skates he brought and a few blankets.

“Are you gonna tell me why it's so special?” She asked, plopping down next to him and grabbing the skates. “How do you even know my shoe size?” Elin frowned.

“Can't you stop asking so many questions, woman!” Chris complained, his voice laced with amusement. “These were my mom's, I thought they'd fit you.”

“Good call, they do,” Elin said after putting one on. “I- euh, I never ice skated though,” she admitted, cringing slightly.

Frankly that was one of the things she had always wanted to do but there never was a good occasion until now. Her only solace was the lack of witnesses if she made a complete fool of herself. Not that she intended to. The only thing stronger than her fear of failure was Elin's unwavering determination to succeed.

“Really?” Chris asked, his smirk growing, and his tongue slightly peeking out of the corner of his lips. His eyes went up and down Elin's body, as if trying to evaluate her. “Mmh,” he hummed, shrugging, “here I thought we'd have ice skating races.”

Her jaw clenched at that and she stood up, the ice skates' blades digging in the snow as she placed herself right in front of him.

“Give me one hour and I'll hand your ass to you,” she challenged him, leaning down a little bit to be at eye level since he was still sitting. Elin was aware of Chris using reversed psychology on her, but the part of her brain that acknowledged it and was genuinely impressed was put to silence by her competitive spirit.

Seemingly unimpressed and accepting the challenge Chris stood up without any warning, his chest brushing against hers as he did so. He was taller than her from a few centimeters and he was delighted to see the surprise and fluster on Elin's face when he smirked down at her. He was so close she didn't even notice when he raised a hand, palm up, waiting for her to take it and follow him toward the frozen surface.

“You coming or what?” He dared her, obviously enjoying seeing her out of her comfort zone.

Now she had a little idea of what he was going through ever since she stormed into his life. She glared at him and although her heart beat a thousand beats a minute and her breathing was a little uneven, she put herself together and gently took his hand. It as a lot warmer than what she expected, and since neither of them wore gloves, she could feel his skin under her fingertips. His fingers curled around her hand and he began walking carefully toward the lake, making sure she wasn't tripping in the snow with her skates.

“Do you want a hand?” He asked, amused when he saw Elin glare at the lake, as if warning it not to mess with her.

“No, no I'm good. I can do this,” she said, silently cursing her pride for both potentially being the soon-to-be cause of her face planting, and for depriving her of the opportunity to touch him again. This boy sure knew what buttons to push, both figuratively and literally.

“I'm getting old!” He snickered from a few meters away, already skating smoothing on the ice, hands in his pockets to shield them from the cold.

“Shut up, Chris!” Elin gave him the bird and he laughed at her. “I'm there, I'm there...” she said as she stepped onto the ice.

“You have to move now, or you won't be able to catch up with me!” He said, provoking her by incessantly tracing loops in front of her. “C'mon, it's just like roller skating! You've got to have tried roller skating in your life!”

“Yes, yes, I have,” she answered. “I just have to get the hang of it.”

“Do you plan on doing that today?” He kept on teasing her, his smile reaching his ears as he skated past her, backwards.

“Show off!” Elin rolled her eyes at him. “Aren't you supposed to be nice with me?”

“Who said such a thing?” He asked as she moved forward a couple meters.

She was focused on her feet and tried to remember the movement, getting a feel of the ice and exactly how slippery it was.

“I vaguely recall you telling me about a Chris 2.0 who deserved a second chance,” she replied, a small but victorious smile tugging at her lips when she realized she was skating and she did not fall so far. It did feel a lot like roller skating.

“I'm positive I never said he was nice, he's just less of an ass,” he corrected her, this time making circles around her.

“You're making me dizzy!” She told him when he finished the fifth circle.

“Tell me something I don't know!” Chris laughed, shooting her a confident smile and skating past her so close she could smell the faint odor of his perfume in his wake, and suddenly, her ears felt really cold. “I knew you weren't immune to my devastating smile!”

“You-” Elin started but bit her tongue. “Give it back,” she demanded, opening her palm in front of her. Chris pretended not to know what she was talking about and put her beanie on his own head.

“You want it back?”

“Yes, I want it back!” She tried to sound upset, but really there was no use, she was grinning so wide her face threatened to split in two.

“Then come get it,” he said, triumphantly. “I won't move, I promise,” he said, and true to his word he didn't move a muscle until Elin reached his spot, slowly but without falling – which was a small but significant victory. “And here you are,” he said, reaching out to give her something to hold onto and not slip away. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders for support.

“Gotcha,” he said, biting his lower lip.

Elin, in order to get back her beanie, ran a hand through Chris' hair, effectively recovering her prized possession, and disheveling him in the process. She wanted to groan at how soft it felt. He truly had everything going for him, and the girl hadn't decided yet if she hated it or if it was her favorite thing about him.

“You're staring,” he whispered, causing Elin to come back to reality.

He expected her to blush but instead she raised her chin and proudly said, “so what? Don't tell me you're opposed to it! A couple weeks ago _you_ were the one constantly eyeing me up and down!”

Chris looked like he was caught red-handed with his hand in the cookie jar and he even had the decency to seem embarrassed.

“It was not meant to be discrete, but when you put it like that... what betrayed me?” He inquired.

“You stared so hard I could literally feel it,” Elin teased, once again running her fingers in his hair, although the beanie was forgotten. “And the girls told me.”

Neither of them could tell whose smile was screaming victory the most, but Elin's warm brown eyes couldn't detach from his mischievous ones and her hands were as good as glued to his head, one at the back of his head, the other on his neck, and _god_ she wanted to kiss those smirking lips, if only to wipe this smile off his face, but she was not going to give in first. Not until she was sure he wasn't screwing her up and over.

“If this is all a fucking game to you, I swear I will beat you so hard your own mother won't recognize you and then I'll set your car on fire,” she warned him, sounding terribly serious.

“How will you go home if you set my car on fire?” Chris frowned.

“I'll drive home first, and then I'll set it on fire, there,” she said, earning yet another smirk. Exactly how many times a day did he smirk? There must be some broken record he wasn't even aware of.

“I'm not playing.” Chris shrugged. “Are you?” He didn't wait for an answer, because he knew it already. “I'm two seconds away from kissing you, if you don't want me to, you better run away now coz after this you won't be able to get rid of me.”

“Huh!” She huffed, taking him back. “If you're asking permission, know that you won't get it. Where's the thrill if you don't risk being rejected?”

“I know you won't push me away,” he said, giving Elin his aware winning smile. Though all of his smiles seemed to fit into this category. “If you do, I'll have to lie to my diary, and you wouldn't want to have this on your conscience.”

Not saying anything, Elin's grin widened, along with Chris' when he saw her joyful expression. He took it for an invitation and slowly leaned in, until their breaths mingled. Elin felt the warmth of Chris' breath against her cheek, the tip of his nose brush against her. She knew his lips weren't far from hers anymore and if she moved so much as from one centimeter forward, they would meet. She held her breath and closed her eyes because of how close he was. Chris squeezed her waist and she stroked the back of his neck, and it was starting to become impossible to make it last any longer when suddenly Elin pulled back, to Chris' utmost frustration. His eyes snapped open at the sound of her laughter and he felt her slip from his grasp.

“I changed my mind,” she announced, all sweet smiles and batting lashes. “I'm sure your diary will understand though.”

“What the hell?” Chris whined. “Don't give a man such false hopes, you tease,” he said playfully, already skating after her.

“I couldn't help it, you were making it so easy!” Elin deliberately provoked him, going as far as to wink and then turn around and make her way toward the center of the lake. “You said you wanted to have a race? Well it starts now!”

“You're like ten meters ahead of me, you cheater!” He exclaimed, though he caught up with her pretty fast.

“You little-” she began to swear when Chris whooshed past her, causing her to wobble on her skates.

Suddenly, what was bound to happen happened: someone slipped and fell, and to both their surprises, it was Chris. Elin almost joined him on the ground because of the fit of laughter than shook her, but she calmed down quickly, and swiftly made her way to Chris.

“Not so cocky anymore, huh?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him and made fun of him, but she still reached out for his hand to help him get back on his feet.

It was already too late when Elin spotted the devilish smirk on Chris' face, he was already pulling her down by the arm, effectively making her land right on top of him. He gasped from the shock but smiled in victory.

“I'm sorry what were you saying?” He asked her.

Elin sat up and looked at him, imagining a hundred different ways to make him swallow his pride and possibly his scarf too. Then she realized she was sitting on him, one leg each side of his hips, and it got a bit tense. Not the embarrassed kind of tension, the _other_ kind.

His hands were no sooner on her thighs and now that they were _cold_ , Chris relished in the feeling of warmth provided by her body. Elin's own hands were burning from the cold since they were flat against the ice, each side of Chris' face.

“We should get up, we'll get sick,” Chris said when he saw her bare hands turn blue.

“Yeah,” Elin agreed.

Getting up was a little more challenging than expected, but she did it nonetheless and then once again offered Chris her hand – did she really not learn her lesson or did she just enjoy their position?

“C'mon, up you go,” she gestured him to hurry. “You're so hot you'll make the ice melt.”

Chris couldn't trust his ears and honestly, neither could she. Had she just fallen so low as to make a lame pickup line? Directed at _Chris_? Spending time with him had a debilitating effect on her brain.

“You really think I'm hot?” He asked as soon as he was standing on his two feet.

He was trying to meet her eyes but Elin desperately looked everywhere but at him, out of sheer embarrassment and definitely not because she would start blushing like a tomato if she actually looked at him. He ended up giving up and simply wrapped his arm around her shoulders, slowly leading her back toward the car. It was a simple yet affectionate gesture that was both friendly and intimate, and man did she love it.

“That's a relief you know, I was beginning to question my good looks, no one's ever left me hanging like that when I was about to kiss them,” he further poked Elin's buttons.

“Still going on about that kiss?” She said, pouting.

“Well, what else should I be thinking about? The color of the sky? My homework for tomorrow? Friday's part- uhmph!” He bent in two when Elin elbowed him.

“That was low, Chris even for you!” She glared him daggers, but he seemed to be in real pain, though she was certain she didn't elbow him that hard. “Shit! Your wound, I forgot!”

Now she was the one who deserved a good smack on the back of the head. Luckily they had almost reached the edge of the lake and she made Chris sit down in the snowy grass. He was still clutching at his side, lips brought together in a thin line as if to stifle a groan.

“I'm so sorry Chris, are you gonna be okay?” Elin worriedly sat net to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I'm fine,” he breathed out, unconvincingly, but still, he tried to smile and put on a brave facade. “Peachy,” he added.

“I'm such an idiot,” Elin said before apologizing again, even offering to check his bandage to see if it was bleeding or anything.

“If you want to see me naked, you know you just have to ask, right?” He laughed after assuring her he would live and apologizing for bringing up the party. “Or you could just kiss the pain away to make it up to me?” He suggested, faintly leaning toward her.

“Shove off Chris!” Elin swatted his hands away from her and he chuckled at that. “How many more times are you going to bribe me into kissing you?”

“How many more times are you going to say no?” He replied, thus answering her question. He would never give up. “Come with me, I've got something that'll warm us up.”

“I swear Chris, if your solution to warm up is to have sex-”

“You said it not me!” He raised both his hands in surrender and opened his car trunk when they arrived at the car. “Hop on!” He said, patting the inside of the trunk. “I've got tea and coffee, because I didn't know which one you preferred,” he said, grabbing two thermos.

“What do you think?” Elin asked, sitting Indian style with her back against the side of the car.

Chris seemed to seriously think about it, all the while looking at her and biting his lip, unaware – or more likely extremely aware – of the obscenity of the gesture. Elin highly doubted that he did anything randomly.

“You look like a coffee girl to me. Not a soy-milk-cinnamon and whipped cream coffee kinda girl, but a black coffee with extra sugar girl,” he decided after a minute of thinking.

“What makes you so sure?”

He was right. The bastard was right.

“Because you too like to look tough even though you're actually sweet,” he said.

“So smooth,” she chuckled and took the cup he offered her, immediately cradling it between her frozen hands. Elin was stunned to see him switch thermos before pouring himself a cup of hot beverage. “You prefer tea?” She asked in disbelief. “That's so posh!”

“Yeah well, I can't really help it, my father's British,” he explained, shrugging before sitting down too, his legs hanging from the trunk. In a quick movement, he lifted up Elin's legs and placed them over his lap. He leaned on them, and if Elin hadn't been freezing, she would have reprimanded him – at least, that's what she told herself. However it did little to nothing to help stop the goosebumps from rising on her skin.

“Do you speak English?” She asked in perfect English.

Since they both studied English at school, he should be able to understand her, but speaking and _speaking_ were two very different things when it came to foreign languages.

“I sure do,” he replied, smiling bright. “And a little bit of French, but my accent's too terrible, I'm not going to say anything unless my life's hanging on the line,” he joked.

“What? You can't just tell me you speak French and then not prove it, you have to say something now,” Elin objected. She was so cold, and he was warm, and if she listened to herself, she wouldn't have just her legs on him.

“That's exactly what I'm doing, I'm not saying anything,” he laughed, not meeting her pleading eyes. It wasn't very fair but Elin was using her puppy eyes on him anyway.

“Okay, fine! Whatever!” Elin exclaimed after a while, when it was obvious Chris wasn't going to speak French for her.

She pretended to be mad, but Chris, that bastard, wasn't playing fair either, and he trailed his fingers up and down her legs and grinned at her until she couldn't not look at him anymore. It was torture, she could feel his hand delicately wrapping around her ankle and then slip up her calf, tracing waves and loops and by the time he reached her knee she wasn't holding back her breath, in anticipation of his hand sneaking on her thigh and-

“Look, it's snowing!” He pointed out.

If he hadn't spoken just now, Elin would have given in and jumped on his lap before kissing him breathless. But it didn't happen. Instead, she felt him lift up her legs and then he stood up, and before she could ask what on earth he was doing, Elin received a snowball right in the chest.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is STILL NOT the last chapter, I don't even know what I'm doing anymore, things just happen and I keep writing because I get ideas (who's complaining though??) I hope it's not getting boring or whatever. I like them too much to stop writing about them just yet. At this point I can't even say if the next chapter will be the last one or not, but it IS coming to its end. There won't be much action left, as you can see this is a direct continuation of the last chapter, and so will be the next one, so that makes 3 chapters for one long scene. It's mostly dialogue and sexual tension. Enjoy!

 

Elin's teeth rattled because of how cold she was – she must be close to hypothermia at this point, but she still laughed wholeheartedly with Chris as they drove away, the car heat on its maximum.

“I had fun today,” she admitted, not so reluctantly anymore.

There was no shame in admitting it, right? Besides, after a few hours of complete honesty, the truth began to come out more easily. Elin had never been a huge adept of the 'fake it til you make it' philosophy, but apparently it worked. She rubbed her hands together to help the blood flow, but what she needed right now was dry clothes and another hot cup of coffee.

“Me too,” Chris said, momentarily looking away from the road to shoot her a smile.

“You just missed the turn!” Elin suddenly said, pointing to her right while the car turned left.

“The turn to where?”

“To my apartment,” she answered, as if it was obvious.

“That's not where we're going,” he chuckled when her eyebrows rose so high they met her hairline.

“Look, wherever you want to go, just let me change first, or I'll die,” she told him. “Like literally, I'll die of hypothermia.”

“Elin, I would _never_ let you die,” Chris promised her, taking a solemn tone and trying to stop smiling long enough to seem serious. “Don't give me that look,” he laughed, placing his hand next to his right eye so she wouldn't be able to glare at him. “We're going to my house, I'll give you something to change into.”

She looked at him in bewilderment, her jaw hanging slightly open.

“And who decided that?!”

“I did, just now,” Chris replied. “Don't fret like that, I promise that I'll drive you home whenever you ask if I make you uncomfortable,” he vowed, holding up his right hand.

Just then, they arrived in his neighborhood, and soon he pulled inside his driveway. They got out of the car, shivering as the harsh winter wind hit them.

“Geez, I can barely move,” Elin said through her gritted teeth.

She was being a little dramatic, but since when was she a reasonable person? Never, of course. And Chris, who would never miss an occasion to mess with her, seized the opportunity and bent down to grab Elin by the legs, only to throw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, earning an impressively long string of curses and shouts, until eventually he was in front of the door, and Elin had to calm down because his mom once again opened it. She couldn't tell what was worse: bringing her son back to her completely beaten up, or _that_.

“Is that the package I ordered from Amazon last week?” She asked, failing at suppressing her smile. “Where do I sign?”

“Sorry mom, that package is for me,” Chris said as she stepped aside to let them in.

“Hi, Mrs. Schistad,” Elin said, still hanging over Chris' shoulder.

When he put her back down, her head spun a little from the blood rush. Her hand flew to Chris' arm to gain some balance.

“It's lovely to see you again Elin,” his mom greeted her. “What happened this time?” She asked, taking in the two teenagers' appearance.

“This time it's his fault,” Elin joked, nudging Chris lightly.

“Hey!” He protested. “You have to be at least two to have a snowball fight!”

“You started it!” Elin pointed out, grinning widely.

“You must be freezing, you should change,” Chris' mom told them. “Do you have anything with you Elin?”

“No, I didn't think I would need another set of clothes,” she said.

“I was going to give her one of my sweaters,” Chris explained as they both took off their shoes and coats in the hall.

“Nonsense, I'll bring you something of mine,” she said, quickly brushing off the idea of Elin walking around her house in a Penetrators sweater.

Chris tugged Elin's sleeve and he led her toward his room. She didn't question it and simply walked in his steps, careful not to accidentally drop water everywhere or something. Everything in this house looked terrifyingly precious and expensive and Elin wasn't sure she was worthy of stepping on the carpet to be honest.

“Come,” Chris told her when Elin slowed down to admire a painting on the wall.

When he opened the door to his room, it was something of a shock for Elin. She didn't even know that she had somehow started to imagine what Chris' room would look like, but this was not it. It was... smaller. It was a bit messy but clean and overall very comfy-looking. It was by far the less intimidating part of the house she had seen so far.

“Cat got your tongue?” Chris teased her. “I never heard you so silent, say something.”

“This is...” she began, walking in and letting her fingers trail over the range of CDs on the shelf next to her, “... not what I expected. I imagined it differently. Bigger, clearer, something more Ikea magazine like.”

His bed was unmade, there were clothes hanging over a chair, and his school bag laid in a corner, forgotten for the week-end. The most disturbing part was that this could have been her room. Elin's eyes jumped from one thing to another, she didn't know where to look or what to do. Chris began to rummage through his dresser to find dry clothes and he pulled out a thick pullover and sweat pants. Man, Elin hoped his mom would be back soon with something warm and comfortable for her to wear, otherwise she would soon be begging Chris to let her wear his stupid Penetrators sweater.

“Is this where you keep your stock of Penetrators sweaters that you give to all the girls you sleep with?” Elin wondered, approaching from his dresser.

“Why? Do you want one?” He shot back, not answering. Elin made a disgusted face and Chris laughed. “Have you ever seen a girl wearing my sweater?” He asked.

“Well, half the female population of Nissen owns one, and you're no choirboy, so I figured at least a few of them where yours.”

Elin shrugged as if it was no big deal. It was. Not because she felt possessive over Chris or something silly like that, but because it was unacceptable to brand girls the way these boys did. They marked their territory, it was immoral.

“You're wrong,” Chris said. “I only ever had one, and it's the one I'm wearing all the time. If a girl wants a Penetrators sweater, she better turn to William.”

“I don't believe you,” Elin said, standing before Chris, a small smile tugging at her lips in challenge. He couldn't lie today, but still, it was too good to be true. “Why not do like William?”

“Not sure you'll like the answer to this, princess,” he said, wincing a bit.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted their tense conversation, and Chris' mom opened the door a few seconds later, quickly placing a pile of folded clothes on his desk and then leaving with an apologetic smile for disturbing.

“I won't judge, just tell me,” Elin said, immediately going for the clothes.

“The bathroom is-”

But Elin's top was already on the floor mid-sentence, and it was soon joined by her jeans. Chris' could not tear his eyes away. She was back to him, he had a perfect view of her backside and the small of her back. Her bra didn't match her briefs and it made him smile.

“I can feel your eyes on me, you perv,” she laughed. “A gentleman would look the other way.”

“Sorry, no gentleman here,” he replied.

“Answer my question now! While you stare at my ass!” She said, still back to him. She grabbed the sweater his mom brought her and almost moaned at how soft it was. Was it cashmere?

“I don't want to have anything to do with my one night stands once it's over,” he simply said, shrugging although she couldn't see.

It was the harsh truth, and the worst part was that she understood, because she was in the same case. Elin grabbed the bottom, glad to see it was a pair of thick yoga pants.

“I guess I can't really blame you for that,” she sighed. “Is this what'd happen to me if I slept with you? No sweater, just a 'twas nice, let's never meet again'?” She asked more out of curiosity and to tease him than out of actual worry. She got it, really. 

He didn't have to see her again if it happened. She was a big girl and she measured the consequences of her actions. Part of her was aware that this will only last until he gets what he wants.

“Isn't it what you do with your hook ups too?” He asked.

He once again answered her question with another one – dammit now that she had pointed it out to him he couldn't help noticing it. She sounded disappointed when she asked the question, but he didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing.

“Yes, but I usually don't get to know them first. Sometimes I don't even know their name, let alone meet their family,” Elin laughed in a vain attempt to sound careless. She put on the yoga pants and when she turned around, Chris was topless. “Wait, let me see your injury before putting this on.”

Elin raised her hand to gesture him to stop moving and she took a quick look at it. It was a light shade of purple turning yellow. It would soon disappear but it still must have hurt a lot when she elbowed him. At least the gash was completely closed, it didn't bleed at all.

“What's the verdict, doctor?” Chris asked, and Elin didn't need to look at him to know he was smirking.

“I'm afraid you don't have much time left,” she said, playing along. “Any last wishes?”

“Actually yes,” he said, grinning like a madman.

Or rather, grinning like he was up to something, but could anyone tell what? Chris was always up to something anyway. He stood close to her again, but at least he had put on his sweater and he wasn't just standing there in all his topless glory, because Elin might be no stranger to a boy's body, but she was only human, and she could only avoid staring so long. Chris slowly leaned in to whisper in Elin's ear.

“Can I see your tattoo again?” He asked, making her groan.

“Of course you saw it!” She complained, running a hand through her hair.

At her arrival (return?) to Oslo, she had it made. It was just a few pine tree's silhouettes with northern lights above. The tattoo was at the front of her right hip, mostly hidden beneath her underwear. She couldn't exactly back down from this one, huh? Elin lifted up the hem of the cashmere sweater – it couldn't be anything else, it was just  _ so soft _ – to reveal the tattoo. Chris seemed surprised that she complied so easily. 

“It's nice,” he said, running a thumb over it.

His hand was still cold but Elin didn't say anything. His touch felt  _ good _ . He had to summon every cell in his body to stop himself from gently tugging at the waistline of her pants to see the entirety of the tattoo – instead he focused on his fingers on her skin, slightly digging in her tender flesh.  _ All curves _ , like he thought. 

“I have one too,” he said, to distract his mind from where it wandered. “I got it last week it's your name,” he joked.

“If you say that it's on your ass, I swear, I'll elbow you again,” Elin threatened, fighting the mighty need to slap this infuriating boy into the next dimension.

“Please don't, it hurt like a bitch,” he said, wincing at the mere thought. “No but more seriously, I have one too. It's a wolf, right between my shoulder blades.”

“It suits you,” she decided. “Hey, is there still a bit of coffee in your thermos? I could do with a little more warmth.”

“Sure,” Chris said after changing into his sweat pants.

Elin began to follow him out of the room, and he shot her a puzzled glance.

“What? I'm a stranger here, there's no way you're leaving me behind. Enjoy it, it's the only time I'll follow you everywhere you go,” she said in answer to his silent question. “Wow!”

She stopped dead in her track and looked to her left. It was a room devoid of any furniture aside from a couch, and a magnificent grand piano and its stool.

“You play the piano?” She marveled, looking at Chris. “I never would've guessed, you don't look like it at all – not that you have to look a certain way to play the piano, I guess what I'm trying to say it that I didn't expect that, 'is all.”

Elin kept on rambling as she stepped in and walked around the piano like it was some kind of masterpiece and she looked at Chris with pleading eyes as if to ask 'can I'? He had no sooner nodded that she was sitting on the stool, letting her fingers brush over the ivory keys.

“I'm two seconds away from crying,” she admitted, nervously giggling.

“You play?” He asked, leaning over the stunning instrument like it was merely a piece of furniture.

“Yes,” she said, playing a few notes. “My parents insisted that I learnt to play an instrument, and I've always loved listening to piano pieces.”

She began to play the first melody that came to mind, something energetic, rather loud. It was incredible how her hands remembered the notes without even needing to give it a second thought. A huge smile played on her lips. Elin was so caught up in her own little world that she didn't notice how Chris looked at her, even though he stood less than a meter away from her, let alone the three other figures standing in the door frame.

“Well, here I thought my little girl had become a virtuoso over night,” a man's voice said when Elin hit the last key.

Elin jumped off the stool and blushed like a ripe cherry at that. She had been caught red-handed drooling over a piano worth more than everything she owned, including her studio and her car.

“You play beautifully,” Chris' mom said, lightly touching her husband's shoulder before returning to where she came from.

“You must be Elin,” Schistad father said, reaching out to shake her hand.

Elin took it and smiled, “it's nice to meet you,” she said.

“That was a stunning piece you played. It's a hell of a first impression,” he smiled kindly, winking at both the teenagers who were struck mute. “Don't mind us, you can keep playing if you want, god knows this beauty deserves to be used more often,” he said, patting the piano before walking out.

That left the third visitor. The little girl wearing a fairy costume came up to Elin and looked her up and down. Geez, was it like a family thing to do this?

“Hello?” Elin eventually said.

“Are you a princess?” The little girl asked solemnly.

“Yes she is,” Chris answered before Elin got a chance. She rolled her eyes at him.

“Do you need a fairy godmother?” She asked, shaking the sparkly wand in her hand.

“Well, I guess I could use one?” Elin didn't know where this was going. “And what's your name?”

“Anja. This is my piano,” she said, pointing toward said prized possession.

“Technically, it's not hers,” Chris explained. “But aside from dad and her, nobody plays. I can't play the piano,” he said.

“Do you have a prince?” Anja asked her, sitting on the piano stool to be taller, magnificently ignoring her big brother.

Elin was going to say no, and maybe also rant about how girls don't need to find a prince to be happy and certainly not to be rescued, but then she realized the girl was like, eight years old, and she had no notion of feminism whatsoever. Did she have a prince? The question didn't lack interest, it deserved a second thought.

“Well, it seems so,” Elin eventually said, looking at Chris, who had the decency to look surprised and not smug like she expected him to.

“Chris can't be your prince!” She suddenly protested, crossing her arms over her chest. “He's my prince!”

“Oh, I had no idea, far be it from me to steal your prince!” Elin apologized.

“Alright, Anja, it's time to leave us alone,” Chris said, dismissing his sister, who immediately jumped down the stool and ran away.

Pulling a fake annoyed face on, Chris gestured Elin to follow him and they both made it to the kitchen, where both thermos waited on the counter. Chris grabbed two empty cups and the thermos to take to his room and they quickly headed back to safety, where no family member would suddenly burst in and make everything awkward again. Not that his family didn't seem like nice people, but still, it was a little awkward.

The two of them sat on his bed. Chris had his legs stretched out, his back resting against the head of the bed, and Elin was right next to him, her legs crossed. For a while they only drank and made small talk, occasionally teasing each other about silly stuff, and when they finally ran out of coffee and tea, Elin asked the question that was bothering her.

“So, you still haven't told me why the lake was a special place.”

“It's not _special_ per se,” Chris said. “It's just special to me I guess. My parents used to take me there when I was younger, and now that's the place I take Anja for her birthday or when she needs cheering up.” He shrugged, as if to say 'no big deal'.

Elin was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

“What?” He asked, his brows knitting together in confusion.

“Is this how you do it? You whip out the cute little sister card and the girls fall for the devoted big brother act?” She asked.

His eyes darkened, and she realized it might have sounded wrong. She didn't mean to offend him or to sound mean, it was just a joke. A terrible one, alright. It deserved an apology.

“You're still convinced that I'm playing you, huh?” He asked a bit roughly. “Nothing I could do would be enough to make you see past asshole me.”

“No, that's not- that's not what I meant Chris. I'm sorry. It came out all wrong,” Elin explained, apologizing to him.

“Just to get it straight, I don't play a role right now. This is who I am when no one's looking. I never bring anyone here, you heard it from my mom the first time you came. Why would you think I let my hook ups meets my family if I don't even give them a goddamn sweater?”

Anger twisted his features, guilt washed over Elin like a wave and her stomach was a bit upset at the thought of having crossed a line with him. He still avoided her gaze and stared right ahead of him. Elin's hand flew to his arm and the squeezed it to get his attention.

“I'm really sorry, Chris. I shouldn't have said that.”

A few more seconds ticked away before she saw the corner of his mouth tremble with a suppressed laugh, and suddenly he broke into a fit of laughter.

“Shit! You fell so hard!” He laughed, looking at Elin's jaw hit the floor.

“Fuck!” She said, shoving him in the shoulder. “I genuinely thought you were mad at me!”

“It's cute that you worry about that though,” he said, still making fun of her. “Have I told you that you're staying for dinner?”

“I what?!”

“You're staying for dinner,” Chris repeated as if she hadn't heard it the first time.

“I'm not deaf you goof! Why am I staying for dinner?”

“Because my mom asked if you stayed for dinner, and I said yes,” he grinned. “And also I told you I was kidnapping you for the day. The day's not over yet.”

Elin blinked a few times and shook head in disbelief, she smiled and for a millisecond, she considered saying no. But she pushed that idea out of her mind and focused on the boy sitting next to her. They were linked at the shoulders and the hips and she could quite literally feel heat emanate from his body. It was incredible how her opinion of him evolved during the last weeks. Chris went from the arrogant fuckboy who seduced girls for the thrill of it, to an actual, potential love interest. Elin would have slapped some sense into her if she wasn't too busy eating him up with her eyes. She was too cozy to even question her attraction to the boy. Yeah, he was good looking, and aware of his destructive charm, but that's not what drew her to him, and apparently he understood it too since he went to such lengths to win her over.

“It's the third time today that I catch you staring at him like I'm some kind of candy,” he said, smirking. “If I didn't know any better, I'd think you want to kiss me.”

“What if I do?” She challenged him.

Yes, yes, she wanted to kiss him. Could she be any more obvious about it? Probably not, so why didn't he catch the hints and just fucking kiss her already? Elin's inner conflict was cut short by her phone vibrating against Chris' wooden desk rather loudly. She excused herself and got up to check it. It was an excuse because she didn't trust herself not to keep looking at him. It was Vilde who wanted to know where she was. The girls were having a sleep over at Eva's. 

**To Vilde:**

**Can't, I'm busy. I'm at Chris'! Have fun xx**

Then she put it back down and smiled to herself as she made her way over to Chris again, who was still lazily laying on his bed.

“Your friends are worried because you disappeared?” He wondered out loud.

“Basically,” Elin laughed. “Where were we?”

“You were about to kiss me,” he said triumphantly, shooting her a toothy grin.

“Really? I don't remember,” she replied, faking to think about it.

Elin gasped as Chris brought her closer to him by wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her so close that their chests touched. Actually, he pressed her even closer, until nothing else than their clothes stood between them, not even a speck of dust. Hell if she was going to stay passive, that wasn't Elin's type at all. She shifted from the edge of the bed to Chris' lap, earning a pleased groan from the boy.

“Don't wriggle too much, we still have to sit through dinner with my parents,” he reminded her.

“Mmh,” she hummed. “You've been waiting for this to happen all day long and now you're backing away,” Elin teased him in order to sting his manhood and get him to _fucking do something_. 

“Not backing away, just postponing until dessert,” he laughed.

She knew he was right though. He could not go out of this room with a hard-on, therefore Elin abandoned her seductive stance and switched back to being playful. When she was off his lap and once again sitting next to him, she gently touched his face, allowing her thumb to trace the outline of his fading bruises.

“Does it still hurt?”

“No.”

She gave him a pointed look. “We said no lies.”

“It doesn't hurt... unless I bump my nose into something, or when I sneeze. Sneezing is the worst,” he confessed, earning a chuckle. When she smiled at him, he swore, “Fuck! I can't believe I just asked you to stop when you were straddling me.”

He seemed so mad at himself it was comical.

“Don't worry,” she said. “Not to sound desperate or anything, but chances are that I'll still want you _after_ dinner.”

“Oh you want me?” Chris repeated. “I like the sound of that-”

He leaned in, his face only centimeters away from Elin's, and still coming closer. She almost jumped when his hand found the back of her neck and pulled her in, making it impossible for her to do anything but to give in. She was smiling when she felt his lips brush against hers, but before she got to taste them, someone broke the magic of the moment by knocking on the door. Chris and Elin quickly pulled away and adopted a more casual demeanor just when his mom opened the door.

“Dinner's ready,” she said, unaware of what she just walked in on.

As soon as she left, leaving the door open, Chris grumbled and Elin was left to even her breath and steady her heartbeats before joining Chris' family for dinner. They both stood up, Elin was leading the way, however when she was about to walk out, Chris' hand reached out and closed the door before her nose, quickly making her spin around. Looping one arm around Elin's waist and the other under her thigh, he urged her to jump and so she did. With her legs around his waist, her back pressed up against the closed door and Chris' chest pressing into her soft body, she finally gave in to the heartthrob he was and they kissed.

It was a kiss full of need and repressed mutual attraction – far from sweet or tender, it was powerful, and it hastened toward its end because Chris' family was waiting for them, but they enjoyed every second of it.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of me and you, from now on I will call Chris Christoffer every time he shares a scene with Chris Berg. Do you guys have any idea how exhausted I am right now??? I've been writing a chapter a day since I started Play Me while also working on the home essay I have to turn in Monday, my brain h u r t s and my hands are stiff
> 
> Warning: sexy time ahead, the usual swearing, atrociously oblivious characters who need to get some sense knocked into them

 

Pretending that nothing had happened turned out to be a lot more difficult than planned, and not because Elin wasn't good at lying or pretending, but because of that sneaky little shit Christoffer who kept winking at her when no one was looking, poking his tongue out of his mouth, biting his lips and even played footsie with her to drive her mad. At some point she kicked him and he had to pretend to choke on his water to explain his odd behavior.

“So, have you two known each other long?” Chris' dad asked, looking at Elin for an answer.

“A few months only. I only moved in this summer,” she explained.

She was good, Chris thought, she was _really_ good. She had this _smile_ and this whole _nice girl vibe_ going for her, and parents in general must dig it. He didn't have the slightest idea where that came from because she never used this sugary voice with him. Was it because she didn't feel the need to sugar coat her words with him? Or was she simply being subtle about not liking him? She had to feel something though. He didn't imagine that kiss, he knew he didn't have it in himself to make this up.

“Oh? Where did you live before?” Chris' dad continued to make conversation.

“In France. I was born in Olso, then we moved to France and I wanted to come back. I was too young to remember anything from Norway so I wanted to see where I came from,” she said before digging in her plate.

“That's great! To be able to travel at such a young age. Chris has never set a foot outside of Norway, after we found out he was airsick, we stopped traveling abroad!”

“Dad,” Chris simply grumbled. “Do we really have to mention this?”

“It's fine.” Elin shrugged. “I'm seasick, and claustrophobic too. It's not like we have control over our phobias.”

“And so,” his dad resumed. “You speak French I suppose?”

“Yes, I'm fluent in French, Norwegian, English and German,” she said proudly, and Chris nearly fell of his chair. “You knew it right?” Elin directed the question at Chris.

“You left out German last time,” he said.

“That's impressive!” His dad exclaimed. “Why so many languages?”

“My mom is French, my father Norwegian, and when they met the only language they could communicate in was English. Now they are fluent in each other's language, but at the time when I was born, it wasn't yet the case. Oh and, we lived near the German border, so learning German was mandatory in my school.”

When she put it like that it made perfect sense and almost – _almost_ – sounded easy.

“It's incredible! Your parents must be so proud of you! Are they finding their bearings in Oslo? It must be so different from France!”

At _this_ , Elin paled. Chris had been watching her so intently that he noticed the slightest change in her expression, and upon seeing how uncomfortable the question made her, he decided to answer for her.

“Elin lives alone. Her parents stayed in France,” he stated simply, earning the attention of everyone at the table.

“And... aren't you a bit lonely?” His mom worried. It had been so long since Elin was at the end of such a motherly gaze that she would have excused herself and gone to the bathroom until she was sure she wasn't going to burst in tears if Chris hadn't once again answered for her.

“I don't leave her alone long enough for that to happen,” he joked, shooting a grin to his mom, who now understood that it was a touchy subject.

“I'm sure they miss you just as much as you do,” his father stepped in again. “Now you must tell me who taught you to play the piano, you are obviously a very gifted young person, but your performance was stunning, anyone would agree with me!”

Ensued a long conversation about Elin's musical education, and Chris completely lost interest in what was being said, so he settled for looking at her. They all finished their plates rather quickly, and Christoffer was glad to see Elin's smile reappear. He didn't participate in the conversation much. At the end, Elin was about to stand up and help his mom put away the dishes, but she told her to stay there, and that Chris would help her. He could only hope his father wouldn't say anything embarrassing to her while he was in the kitchen.

It took less than a second for his mom to say something though.

“You know you don't have to stare at her so hard, Chris? The poor girl won't vanish in thin air,” she giggled, endeared at the thought of her son being so bent on keeping someone by his side.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” he said, immediately diving his hands in the hot water and beginning to wash the plates.

“Don't you lie to me young man! I see right through it anyway, must I remind you that I made you?”

It was always funny when parents used that phrase on their children once they were taller than them.

“She's a much better liar than you by the way!” His mom chirped, happily drying the dishes next to him. “I almost believed that story about you defending her in the street!”

“So you're telling me you knew it wasn't the truth but you let me get away with it?” He asked, puzzled.

“I wasn't going to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, and besides, I thought it was cute that she agreed to lie for your sake.”

“She's not my girlfr-”

“Oh c'mon, Chris,” his mom said in that scolding yet affectionate voice that meant 'stop shitting me'. “Who are you trying to convince?”

 

*

 

The relativity of time never felt more tangible than that night. An eternity could have passed, the dinner had stretched to no end, despite the friendliness of Chris' family, sitting at that table and talking about music and school was not at all what either of them wanted to do. Chris was slouched on his chair like a spineless sloth and he looked like he was counting the seconds, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the wooden table. Elin tried to be polite but not to participate too actively in the conversations. It was only when Chris' mom said Anja had to go to bed that Chris jumped on the occasion to exit the dining room.

“We'll head back to my room now,” he declared, in such a way that no one had anything to say about it. It wasn't a question, for heaven's sake!

Elin nearly jumped off her chair and quickly thanked everyone for dinner and everything was delicious, good night. Chris couldn't help putting his hand in the small of her back as they walked away. She knew the way but he couldn't keep his hands off of her anymore.

“Fuck!” He groaned, almost slamming the door shut behind them before turning around and literally attacking the girl's lips. “I thought they'd never stop talking!”

All too pleased with what was happening, Elin wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back with more enthusiasm than he would have ever dreamed of. Her hand immediately traveled upward and she took a fistful of his hair, pulling his head back abruptly. Chris gasped as their lips parted, but his protested died in his throat as soon as Elin's mouth connected with it, trailing kisses from his Adam apple down to his collarbone and then she sucked gently at the spot where his neck and shoulder met. Whoever said boys weren't sensitive to neck kisses clearly didn't know what they were talking about.

Her skin was on fire where his hands touched her body, and if she didn't get rid of her clothes regardless how soft and fluffy, Elin knew she would spontaneously combust. It wasn't part of the plan to sleep with Chris initially, and the risk of someone walking in on them was significantly higher than she would like, but _honestly, who cared_?

She didn't realize they were moving until the back of her knees hit the bed and suddenly she fell backward, her back soon hit the mattress, with Chris lying on her making her sink further in the comforter. The sheer thought of him set every last nerve in her system ablaze, she was certain he could read it in her eyes. Elin spread her legs to help Chris ease himself on top of her and to welcome the weight of him.

When Elin released him from her tight grip, Chris dived forward and started sucking his way toward the swell of her breasts, savoring the warm, tender flesh, feeling the loud hammering of her heart against her ribcage. He was _in control_. He was the reason for her pulse speeding up, for her breath shortening, for her cheeks reddening. Chris growled against her skin when he couldn't move further down and his hands stopped massaging Elin's breasts in favor of slowly sneaking under her sweater and moving it up. At some point they had to stop kissing to yank it over Elin's head – a separation that lasted all too long already.

“Did you lock the door?” She eventually asked, out of pure formality. She was beyond caring.

“No,” Chris told her, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Elin liked that he didn't ask her if he should, she liked that he was into this as much as she was – it would be a fucking shame to be the only sucker in the room. This time they weren't in a rush anymore, they could take their sweet fucking time and get a feel of each other. If Chris felt confident enough to leave his door unlocked while having sex, it meant that his parents wouldn't burst in. They were both eighteen after all. They were legal and both knew what they were about. They exactly what they were about.

“Is it just me or is it exciting to know we could be found in this position any moment?” She still giggled, her hands fumbling for the bottom of Chris' pullover.

No way she wasn't getting a sight of him again. The sneak peek she got earlier wasn't nearly enough to satisfy Elin's thirst.

“Definitely not just you,” he chuckled, rising up and getting rid of his pullover, which joined Elin's cashmere sweater on the floor of his room. “You and your dirty mind!”

“ _I_ have a dirty mind!” She exclaimed in a hushed voice – no need to tempt the devil. “Right back at ya, Christoffer!”

To assert her point, Elin swept Chris' leg aside to back him lose his balance and made them roll over to be on top of him, straddling his lap in a similar way than she had before dinner.

“Ride me,” Chris demanded, not beating around the bush.

When was the last time a girl like Elin was sitting on his lap in all her topless glory, smiling down at him like she was the ruler of him? Chris couldn't even remember ever meeting a girl like Elin, period. He would be crazy to pass up this opportunity, and he rarely met girls confident and experienced enough to take matters in her own hands so he usually ended up being the one in charge of whatever happened in bed.

“Say _please_ ,” she replied, winking and biting her lip in that irresistible way that made him want to moan at the sight of it.

Her pointer finger traced random patterns on his chest with the tip of her nail, making him shiver in a way he had never experienced in his life. Her hair was wild and she had to pull it back all the time, her chest heaved and her hips rolled gently in a steady and purposely slow pace. It made things easier for her that he was wearing sweat pants and no jeans or a buckle, and before he had a chance to beg her, she stood up and rid him of them.

He was on his feet in a split second, and worked on helping Elin out of her pants as well, leaving them both in underwear. It could have been awkward for them to stand there, exposed, in the bright light of Chris' ceiling lamp, but that required a minimum acknowledgment of their surroundings. Elin and Chris were so utterly and entirely wrapped up in each other that they didn't see anything else.

“ _Please_ ,” he said, stepping forward to bring down the distance between them to exactly zero.

With his hand once again resting in the small of her back and teasingly moving up and down her spine, Chris brushed his cheek against hers, whispering the word right to her ear. He felt her tremble beneath his touch, and he had to step back a little bit when she went to unclasp her bra, distractingly throwing it to the side, and-

“Fuck!” He swore, covering his mouth with his hands to muffle the curse. “You can't be serious!”

“You bet I am,” Elin purred as she stepped out of the last piece of clothing covering her.

There she stood, stark naked and still, he was the one having trouble aligning two coherent thoughts – let alone words! He raised a tentative hand, hesitating a couple centimeters above her full breasts, and Elin had to fill the gap. Chris closed his eyes at the feeling of the cold metal of the nipple piercing, swearing under his breath.

“Are you going to do something or must I do all the work?” Elin asked, knowing full well it would hurt his male pride.

Chris didn't need any more encouragements, actually, he rarely felt so turned on, if never, and there was little to no chance he would let her walk away unsatisfied. And that worked for both of them.

“Shit, Elin, it's like you're straight outta my imagination,” Chris said, abruptly pulling her in his arms, causing their chests to meet and nothing has ever felt as good as her naked body flush against him. Elin smirked at the feel of him poking against her, and her hands left his shoulders in favor of the waistline of his boxers.

“You must have really good taste then,” she chuckled, stripping him out of his underwear.

Chris lifted her up in his arms, only to unceremoniously dump her on the bed, making them both laugh and then kiss, and with their limbs tangled and their mouths trying to reach ever last square centimeter of each other's skin, they finally joined together.

Elin's mouth formed a perfect 'o' shape and a soft, lingering moan tumbled down her lips when she felt him enter her. It translated the sense of utter pleasure and satisfaction he brought her with each thrust. Long, thin red marks already barred Chris' back as Elin left her mark on him, her hands eventually settling on his neck and backside as he quickened his pace, giving her little to no time to catch her breath. Extremely aware of the fact that they had to keep things quiet, Elin buried her face in the crook of Chris' neck, her mouth open and biting, nibbling, sucking anything but releasing the scream in the back of her throat.

With every movement of his hips, her met him halfway, setting a mutually pleasurable rhythm and easily falling into harmony. But Elin hadn't forgotten about Chris' demand. After several more thrusts, Elin tipped over the edge, her orgasm triggered a series of raspy moans she couldn't possible stifle so she bit Chris' shoulder, making his grunt in both ache and pleasure.

“You make the most obscene noises!” Chris teased her, chuckled as she tried to regain her breath, her eyes still unfocused and her hair sticking to the sweat of her forehead.

Chris pushed it out of her face and captured her lips for a short kiss, because her breathing was still uneven. As soon as she regained some sense of self, Elin traded places with Chris, without ever breaking their intimate link. As he laid there, pressed into his mattress with a stunning girl sitting on him, he thought that there were worst ways to spend a Sunday night. He had a spectacular view of her tattoo, and his hands found her tender, full breasts to tease her nipples by twisting her piercings, ever so gently not to hurt her.

“Like them?” She panted, glancing down at Chris who was mesmerized by her.

She rocked her hips back and forth, their bodies meeting in such a way that he filled up every centimeter of her, and the sound of flesh slapping and heavy breaths filling the room.

“I never thought I was into this until now, but fuck, “ he grunted. “You just ruined me for any other girl!”

“Not gonna apologize,” she replied, her tongue slightly poking out of her mouth as her body rolled against him like a wave.

“Oh I know,” he laughed, throwing his head back against the pillow.

They share a few more steaming glances and caresses, and soon they were both hot messes, panting and dizzy from their high. Elin let herself crash next to Chris, her head resting on his arm. Not a sound was heard except for their breath and the ruffling of the sheets. They hadn't even unmade the bed, they simply had sex on top of the covers, with the lights on, the door unlocked. It lasted longer than either of them thought, and not a noise disturbed the quiet atmosphere in the house. For how long they stayed in this position, it was hard to tell. They were warm and content like never before. They thrived on this new bound they created through sex, and Chris more than Elin was scared to say anything that could break the spell. He had closed his eyes a few minutes ago and simply enjoyed feeling Elin's labored breath and her skin against his.

“Chris?” Elin asked after a while, when her breathing was calmer.

“Mmh?” He hummed, rolling to the side and resting his chin atop her head. She could hear his sleepiness, his eyes were closed, she knew it.

“How do you feel about round two in the shower? I don't like going to sleep all sweaty,” she said, and she could swear she felt his sudden regain of energy.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be kind to poor little me, leave a review :) 
> 
> PS: It was really hard for me not to make a penetrator pun in this scene, be grateful I didn't
> 
> STILL NOT THE LAST CHAPTER HAHA


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the last! AND there is a possibility that I might write an epilogue, but it'll be short.  
> I'm not thrilled about this chapter, it's not the best one, it's probably the least good one actually, but I can't just write intense, emotionally heavy chapters all the time, right? So here is a filler chapter, with a bit more of the other characters. Maybe I'll rewrite it at some point, if only to change a few details to make it more interesting to read...  
> Anyway, I'll do better for chapter 9 (part of the reason I butchered this one is because I wanted to make a jump in time and start writing the next scene already, but then I would have had to include flashbacks, and in my own experience, too many flashbacks kills the flow of the story)

 

Chris liked to think that he let her stay, however it was closer to the truth to say that she simply didn't ask permission and laid down with him after their tiring late night exercise and shower. She had never been more glad that Chris was a rich kid who had a private bathroom. The first thing that happened the next morning was Elin screaming when she fell off the bed.

She was going to roll over and snuggle her blanket, but instead she felt the cold, hard ground, because- _aah right_ , she didn't sleep in her studio. Chris sat straight up on his bed and gave frenzied looks all around him.

“I'm here!” Elin grumbled, raising her hand.

“Why are you on the floor?” Chris asked and yawned, reaching out to help her get back under the covers. “It's freezing!”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Elin laughed and sneaked back in bed. She shifted closer to Chris and his body heat – or his body in general.

“Don't tell me you're a cuddler,” he laughed, leaning against the headboard as Elin placed her chin on his shoulder. He still put his arm over her shoulders, a gesture so natural that it only occurred to him that it shouldn't be, after doing it.

“I'm not!” Elin exclaimed. Being a cuddler was never supposed to be an insult, but it was a tad too mushy for either of them. “Cuddlers cuddle in their sleep, or spoon, I'm merely taking advantage of your warmth,” she said.

Her fingers mindlessly roamed over his chest until his hand flew up and grabbed hers.

“I didn't know there were rules!” He laughed and messily brushed his hair back. “Hey, listen, I'm not trying to corrupt you or anything, but since we're already late and you probably never missed a day of school in your life, I think today would be a great day to do it for the first time.”

“What?!” She squealed and climbed over Chris to get her phone. It was blowing up with messages and missed calls she didn't see because she put it on silent. “It's past ten!”

“I know, might as well stay in bed today.” Chris shrugged. No biggie.

“What do you mean stay in bed? I can't stay in bed!” It was ludicrous! She had to go.

Elin began to grab her stuff but she didn't get past the underwear. Her clothes were somewhere in the house, drying from yesterday, and the only other clothes at her disposal were the yogga pants and cashmere sweater.

“Elin,” Chris said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She didn't expect him to be up. “Calm down, one day off won't kill you, it might even do you good.”

“Speak for yourself, I don't thin-” Elin began to say but he cut her off.

“You're some kind of genius, stop worrying!”

“I'm not!”

“So are!” He teased her.

“I have to work just like everyone else!” She protested, looking immensely offended. “Twice as hard as you probably!”

“Why do you say that?” He frowned, thinking, but not saying, that two times zero was still zero.

“Subjects like math and biology are the same everywhere, but I'm so far behind in history and literature, I had to spend the whole summer catching up with summer classes.”

“You took summer classes?!” Chris almost choked on thin air. _Of course she did_. “Don't you love yourself?”

Elin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. He puts his hands on her shoulders.

“Elin, you're a straight-A student who speaks four languages and is top of her class,” Chris articulated very slowly. “Just wrap your pretty little head around the idea that I'm not letting you put on any pants today.”

“We spent the last twenty-four hours together, aren't you bored of me yet?” She asked him in a playful tone. Chris' smirk morphed into a slightly sweeter smile.

“How can I persuade you to stay?” He inquired, immediately slipping his hand behind her and squeezing her bum.

“Hey!” Elin protested, jumping back and grabbing the sweater. It was cold in the room and she wanted to enjoy this cashmere as long as she could. “I'm not saying you can bribe me with food but I wouldn't say no to breakfast.”

“Perfect, I'll cook,” Chris said, sealing the deal with a little smack on the ass, which earned him an irritated glare.

“You? Cooking?”

“Now you're insulting me!” He said, putting on clean boxers and his Penetrators sweater, along with the sweat pants we wore yesterday.

“I reserve my judgment, but I have my doubts.”

“Let me blow you away with my **Laks og eggerøre 1 ** **!”**

**“ Won't your parents find it weird if we hang around the kitchen with our sex hair?” She laughed. “I know I made a fantastic first impression but still...”**

**“ My parents are at work, and Anja has school, we're alone,” he assured her. “Like I said, pants are optional.”**

 

*

 

 

Elin only left Chris' house a couple hours before his parents came home from work. It broke her heart to leave the cashmere sweater behind, but she found comfort in the idea of buying one for herself one day. Chris dropped her off and she was about to exit the car when he grabbed her arm and yanked her back to steal one last, possessive kiss, and handing her back her X-Men shirt.

“Now it smells like me,” he told her, biting his lower lip. The sheer thought of her walking around her apartment, wearing it and diving her nose in it was enough to have him half hard again.

When she was back inside her studio it felt oddly empty and silent, but at least she could let out the deep sigh she had been holding back since Chris kissed her last night. It was maddening, infuriating, inadmissible that a boy could mess with her like that, put her head upside down like he did. Did she have a double personality problem? Maybe. Because she was constantly torn between slapping Chris' smirk off his face and kissing him until she ran out of breath.

If she told Noora about this she wouldn't even _believe_ her- shit. She would have to tell Noora and the girls. She would have to answer the hundreds of texts she received during the last twenty-four hours.

Her phone! She forgot her phone on Chris' desk. Well, maybe it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. It would give her a break before getting showered with incessant questions and lectures about how Chris was an absolute asshole who didn't respect women and played to win and so on. She knew who she was up against from the very first time their eyes locked. Elin knew a Fuckboy when she saw one, and it's not like she was an angel.

For the rest of the day she watched a movie and pondered how to break the news to the girls about her and Chris. She wasn't presumptuous enough to assume they were together, but telling the girls that she slept with him was mere honesty and not building a house from the roof. She had a good feeling about Eva.

Eva would understand, maybe high five her. Noora would give her the Eyebrow of Disappointment. Sana would just smirk and find ten different ways to turn this to the group's advantage. Chris would make a joke about her name twin. And Vilde would somehow turn the conversation around and end up talking about William – it was formidable how she did that.

By the time her movie ended, Elin was yawning and her eyes fluttering close. She changed into her X-Men shirt and fell asleep breathing in the scent of Chris' deodorant and shower gel – which also lingered on her skin from the shower.

 

*

 

“Elin!” The girls called her the moment she stepped through the door, waving at her from the table they were sitting at.

“Alright, now is not the time to back off,” she whispered to herself as she put her the most convincing smile she could muster up and walked toward the table.

“Oh my god!” Eva said. “We thought that idiot Christoffer took you to his cabin in the woods and killed you or something!” She laughed to make it sound like she wasn't as worried as she truly was.

Sana gave her a 'don't be dramatic' look and turned to Elin.

“He's not an ax murdered,” Sana replied, patting the empty spot next to her for Elin to sit on. “How was it?”

Elin's shoulders slumped and she sighed, “way too nice!”

“What do you mean?” Chris asked, as she braided Vilde's hair distractedly.

There was not a single word in the dictionary to describe accurately the eeriness of yesterday's events. Would the girls believe her? Did she even want to tell them everything? It felt like overstepping a boundary; Chris had entrusted her with a side of him that he didn't show to anyone else but his family and William most definitely. It wasn't her place to tell everyone about it. Lying to the girls would be easy, but she didn't want to.

“Just that I had a really good time. He's not that awful,” Elin said, using her most casual tone and demeanor, but Sana's pout was a good indicator of how unconvinced she was. The others didn't seem too suspicious. “Chris can be pretty decent.”

“Are we talking about the same person?” Eva asked. “Chris? Chris Schistad? Te one who kissed me when we were both dating someone else?”

“Yes.” Was it too much to shrug? Meh, Elin did it anyway.

“He's the worst!” Noora suddenly burst, raising her hands in helplessness. “Did he brainwash you?”

“No, we spent the afternoon together, we slept together and we skipped class together, then I went home,” she explained, feeling her temples throb already.

“Leave her alone, Elin knows what she's doing,” Sana intervened, leaning on the table. “Vilde slept with William and no one said anything!”

Before Vilde could start rambling about how dreamy and sensitive William was, Noora stepped in.

“William is not Christoffer!”

Everybody stared at her like she had a third eye in the middle of the forehead.

“He- Chris is a devil in disguise, I've ever met anymore more in love with himself, he doesn't care about anyone else!”

A surge of anger washed over Elin, but she swallowed her harsh comment back, because Noora didn't know what she was talking about. None of them knew, therefore it was only normal that they were wary of him – it was because they cared about Elin and didn't want her to be hurt.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course,” Vilde said, a sweet smile on her lips.

“We trust you Elin,” Eva assured her, taking her hand and placing it on her lap. “What's on your mind?”

“I know it sounds weird, but I've seen Chris outside of school a few times these last weeks, and he's not as terrible as he tries to play it off. Just- you just have to trust me on this.”

A long silence followed her declaration and Elin's palm became sweaty, especially since they all stared at her with wide eyes.

“Does he treat you well?” Sana asked.

That was an unexpected question, but to everybody's surprise, including hers, Elin nodded.

“Alright then.”

“That's it?” Noora asked.

“What else is there to say?”

“I don't know, I want to know what happened, I don't understand anything!”

“Shh!” Chris hushed Noora, lightly shaking her shoulder.

“Wha-”

“He's coming here!” She nudged her and the girls stopped talking and turned their head toward the front door of the school's hallway.

Chris was strutting confidently toward them, looking tired and jaded. His black wasn't as obvious as last week but it was still visible and the gash on his nose wasn't healed yet. He looked straight at Elin, not even acknowledging her friends. He didn't smile at all. When he was a meter away from her he stopped.

“You forgot this on my desk,” he said, pulling out her phone. “It blew up with messages all evening until it died,” he informed her in a bored tone.

His eyes shifted behind her, staring at something over Elin's shoulder and she noticed how his entire expression darkened before turning around and walking away without a goodbye.

“Okayyy,” Chris said.

“What just happened?” Eva asked, a confused and nervous smile twisting her lips.

“I don't know...” Elin frowned, staring at her phone heavy in her hand.

 

*

 

The while day passed in this weird slow motion during which all of Elin's friend gave her careful, worried looks, thinking she wasn't aware of their eyes on her. None of them had the slightest idea of what happened during the cold and brief exchange they witnessed between Elin and Christoffer. Something must had happened. Between the moment he dropped her off at her studio last night, and this morning, something made him take a 360° turn and he seemed not interested in her at all now.

Elin's self-confidence and sense of self-worth was not fragile enough to be shaken up by a boy not looking at her like she was his whole world – she always found that expression stupid. No, she didn't need a boy's acknowledgment to feel good in her own skin, but she was stunned in the not cool sense of the way. And she had every intention to find out what happened.

“Psst!” Sana called Elin and she turned her head to her left.

“Mmh?” She hummed. She had zoned out a little bit.

“Chris is there,” she said, leaning toward Elin. “Do you want to leave?”

Sana was helping her study for her literature class at the end of the week, and the school's library was their weekly meeting spot. Chris, William and two other Penetrators had just sat down at the table behind them.

“No, why should we leave?” Elin frowned.

“Something obviously happened. You sure you don't want to talk about it?” Her friend asked her worriedly.

“If I knew what was going on, I would already be over there putting him back in his place,” she said angrily, before tying her hair back. “Now, let's get back to work...”

 

*

 

“It's like he's everywhere!” Vilde said, raising her arms in defeat in the middle of the cafeteria.

“Yeah, and if you say 'Penetrator Chris' three times in a row he appears in a little puff of red smoke,” Elin grumbled under her breath as a joke.

“Why red smoke?” Chris asked, momentarily taking a break from sucking her lollipop to ask the question, however irrelevant.

“Because he's the devil,” Sana said, nudging Elin, who hardly managed to suppress the smile that was fighting its way on her face.

“Noora?” Elin asked.

She was staring right ahead of her, lost in her own little world. Elin followed her gaze and landed on Christoffer and William. They both looked this way, but as soon as Elin's eyes connected with Christoffer's, his smile fell and his eyes drifted away. William kept smiling at Noora. When he winked, she blushed and stared at her hands.

“Noora?” Elin repeated. “Are you with us?”

“Uh- yeah, yeah, what were you saying?”

“Nothing, you just looked far away...”

Vilde began to talk about how they should have a Russ bus meeting and Noora didn't look at the boys anymore. Elin on the other hand, hardly managed to look anywhere but at Christoffer, who seemed to put an extraordinary effort into not meeting her insistent gaze.

Suddenly, she had an idea. Elin squeezed her phone in her pocket. It had to be this. It had to have something to do with her phone. A message? Did he go through her phone and find something he didn't like? She didn't have a password on her phone, there was nothing worth hiding in it. She never talked badly of him, at least not since the Yakuza fight and certainly not through texts.

At the end of the day, Elin's patience was wearing thin – extremely thin. She practically ran home, barely waving goodbye to the girls who all shot her a sheepish smile. When she arrived, she threw her bag in a corner, took her phone and plugged it in the charger, tapping her foot against the tiles of her kitchen until she could finally turn it on.

“Faster, faster,” she urged it, as if her phone was giving a damn about her problems.

The next five minutes were a continual buzzing because of all the messages she was still receiving, and she had to summon all of her patience to wait until it silenced. She took off her coat and sat down, ready to go through the seemingly infinite number of texts. No way she was getting up before she knew what upset Chris to the point of not even being able to look her in the eyes.

 

*

 

“What's up with you today?” William asked Chris, his voice sounding annoyed even through the phone.

“Wait a sec.”

With his phone glued to one ear and his hand on the other, Chris left his living room and went back to his room to get some quietness. Anja was playing the piano again and he couldn't hear a thing.

“Nothing,” Chris said. “Why do you even ask?”

“Don't bullshit me, I know when something's up,” William snickered.

Chris dropped on his bed, putting his arm over his eyes as he sighed in the phone.

“I'm not in the mood man-”

“I don't care if you're in the mood or not, you just skipped a party, it must be pretty fucking serious if you're not even in the mood to hook up with a few girls,” William insisted.

“Don't mention it,” Chris said, rubbing his eyes. “It's Elin...” he admitted, regretting it almost immediately.

A long moment passed before William said “Fuck”, and really, it summed it all up. He could still hear the faint sound of the piano through his walls and it was slowly driving him nuts, his sister's hazardous playing had nothing to do with Elin's agile fingers dancing over the keys like it was second nature.

“Anja, shouldn't you go to bed?! It's past ten!” He shouted through the opened door.

Couldn't he have a little peace? He was only human. It fucked him up to be used like that by a girl. A girl... a girl he... _liked_. Man, it was horrible to think the words, how was he ever supposed to admit it out loud? It was... out of character for him. The same way it was out of character for Elin to play him like she did. At least, that's what he thought, but could he really claim to know her? Ice skating with someone did not make them best friends, sleeping with someone did not make them your fucking property.

“Chris? Chris are you still here?” William called him.

“Yeah, I'm not going anywhere,” he sighed. “Just don't say anything alright? I know you warned me but if you say 'I told you so', I swear I'll break your face,” he grumbled in the speaker.

“Well... if you want to tal-”

“Don't say it, man, just- don't,” Chris warned him.

“Okay, okay,” William laughed. “I'll leave you to your brooding!”

A noise disturbed the silence and soon, Chris was sitting straight on his bed, listening intently. The piano playing ad stopped, Anja must have gone to bed. His parents worked tomorrow so chances were they were in their room too. His door flew open and he stood up abruptly, letting his phone slip between his fingers and it hit the floor, ending the call with William. Elin entered and slammed the door shut behind her back.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

1 Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER! Epilogue will be up soon, it'll be short though, far from being 3k long like the chapters. 
> 
> I'm sorry for the little delay, the past two days passed so quickly! I finished my exams (which I nailed, for those who care) and then I was kidnapped by my friends and forcibly taken on a shopping spree (haha I'm kidding, I came willingly and now I'm broke af)  
> I tried to keep the dialogue as interesting and dynamic as possible in this last part, and hopefully it won't be as anti-climactic as I first feared. Don't hesitate to comment to tell me how much I failed on a scale of 1 to 10!

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“We need to talk,” she said calmly, taking off her coat and hanging it over his desk chair like she owned the place.

“Oh no we don't, get out of my room,” Chris immediately replied showing her the door. “Who even let you in at this hour?”

“I let myself in.” Elin shrugged, a shy smile lifting up the corner of her lips.

“You- you broke into my house?” He choked on his spit, this girl was going to be the _end_ of him.

She locked the door to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted and for some reason it scared him. They didn't feel the need to lock it when the were having sex but she did it for a simple conversation? He swallowed down and rubbed his face with both hands, sitting down in exasperation because he didn't trust himself not to smash something to steam off.

“The back door's lock is terribly easy to pick,” she added before sitting down too, on the desk chair, spinning around a little. “And it's your fault if I broke in, you should have answered my calls.”

“Hasn't it occurred to you that I didn't want to talk?” He replied, but his attempted at sounding harsh was welcomed with a pout and a slightly endeared eye-roll.

“It crossed my mind, but I figured you at least ought to listen to me,” Elin said, clicking her tongue and crossing her legs, resting her joined hands on her knees. Her stance was terribly professional, she was down to business. “I know why you're upset,” she stated.

“For fuck's sake! Why does everybody feel entitled to psychoanalyze me today?! Am I not allowed to have a bad day?” Chris almost shouted.

In his entire liar career, this was by far the laziest, dumbest excuse he ever told anyone, and of course it was to the Queen of liars. He didn't linger on the realization that she had become a kind of role model in the subtle art of deceiving and pushed the thought to the back of his mind – he would come back to it later if he was in the mood to torture himself. He couldn't help but wonder if she could decipher his lies or not? You cannot trick the fox they say...

“Chris? Are you alright?” A muffled voice came from behind the door, making them both stiffen. “Who are you talking to?” It continued. It was his dad, luckily for both of them, he didn't seem to be wanting to enter.

“I'm on the phone with William,” Chris dismissively said. He then opted for a more hushed tone when he talked to Elin, and pointed an accusing finger in her general direction as he said, “everything doesn't revolve around you!”

“It _doesn't_?” She asked in a mock-shocked way, her hand resting above her heart. “Well, I suppose you're right, but this _is_ about me.”

Chris stormed up and forward slamming a hand each side of the chair on which Elin was sitting very calmly. She visibly moved away from him when he leaved down, aggressively glaring her way.

“Who do you think you are, huh? Is this all a fucking game to you? You come into my life, fuck shit up, leave and come back to pick up the pieces? That's not how the fuck it works! I have no idea what came over me when I tried to get to know you and told you... personal things about me, it was clearly a huge mistake! And you were there, smiling and threatening to chop off my balls if I was screwing with you and then I find out _you_ were the one putting on an act all along! How do think I should react, tell me! Is it not enough to upset me?!”

And gone was the low voice to keep this conversation between them and not alert the entire household. Elin was taken aback by his sudden outburst and if he wasn't close enough for her to feel his breath against her face, she would have moved, if only to break the unease floating in the air. A tired sigh fell from her lips, and she tore her eyes away from his accusing glare, unable to uphold it any longer. He was even more upset than she imagined in her worst case scenario.

“You saw the girls' texts, mh? The one Vilde sent last night?” She asked after a moment of unbearable tension. This time is was definitely not sexual tension. “I understan-” she tried to reach out and touch his arm but he ripped it out of her grasp as soon as her fingertips brushed against his skin.

“It feels really shitty to be on the losers' side,” he admitted, his jaw clenching under the realization that he lost the fucking game. They were playing, and he lost. “But I forbid you to pity me!”

“Shut up! I'm certainly not pitying you!” Elin smacked his head from behind. “Don't you feel sorry for yourself! If you weren't too proud to consider being mistaken, I could explain you!”

She stood up to face him better, to make sure he wasn't going to be a coward and look away. In a fit of frustration, she pushed him back, hitting his chest with both hands.

“You fucking stubborn mule! Open your fucking eyes and look at me!”

Chris grabbed her by the wrists to make her stop and pushed her against a wall in order to force her to settle down.

“Then say it! Just say whatever you felt was _so_ _important_ to tell me, spit it out so we can be done with it!”

Chris was literally a millimeter away from her face and he was so mad at her, but he also wanted to believe that there was another explanation to Vilde's text. What if he overreacted? He probably deserved every last punch she threw his way, if not for his behavior today, for all the past harm he had done. Was Elin and her indifference toward him the embodiment of his bad karma coming back around to kick his ass? This wasn't such a far-fetched explanation as of right now. Elin was like a poisonous flower, beautiful and dangerous. She was a drug, and now that he had tasted it, he wanted more. But at what price?

Elin too wondered why she was so drawn to Chris. Why him in particular? Was it his seemingly unreachable heart? Was it all a challenge to her? Sometimes it was hard to tell, she had never analyzed her emotions before, never needed to. She had never felt powerless, or guilty, or even this attracted to someone. Wasn't _she_ allowed to freak out too?

Listening to her instinct and her instinct only, Elin leaned in and kissed him. Very much alike their first kiss, it wasn't sweet in the least. It was angry, harsh, they wanted to hurt each other. It was a lucky coincidence that Chris was wearing a dress shirt, which Elin eagerly ripped open, immediately attaching her mouth to his chest. He groaned and made her stand up, pinning her against the wall again. Her head banged against it, sending a flash of pain through her spine but she was way too busy receiving feverish kisses and returning them.

“I still despise you!” He said, his mouth on her skin, rising goosebumps in its wake.

“Feeling shared!” She moaned in his mouth.

Chris unbuttoned her jeans and unzipped them, pulling them down until she was able to step out of them and when Elin kicked them off, he did the same with her underwear. To hell with precaution! Elin had returned the favor to Chris and as soon as he was free from his pants and underwear, she wrapped her legs around him. Chris didn't lose any time to slip inside her, welcoming the feeling of her.

“Why did you have to fuck me over?” He groaned, slamming in and out of her. “What did I do wrong?”

“You- you didn't do- anything- wrong,” Elin gasped, her advanced state of excitement helping build up her orgasm already. “It's all- all a mis- understanding,” she moaned in his ear, biting his lobe to tease him the same way he did to her.

“I don't believe you,” he replied, feeling how close he was to his own release.

The sex was quick, it was rough and it was delightful. A few more minutes passed before they climaxed together, muffling their moans in a final kiss. They collapsed on the floor in one lazy motion, still holding each other like they were each other's life buoy. Elin's arm held him against her so tight it required an effort to stay in this position, but she couldn't for the life of her let him go. She lost track of time, but she knew she was cold by the time Chris stood up, and to her amazement, he offered her a hand to help her stand up and even handed her her clothes back.

“This shouldn't have happened,” he said flatly.

“Do you regret it?”

“...No,” he eventually said. “I don't regret a single thing we did. But if you're not interested in me, I'd like to know. Right now.”

“Chris,” Elin said softly, resting her hand on his shoulder after they both dressed up. “Vilde's heart is in the right place, but her mouth runs ahead of her brain.”

“So what? There was no truth at all in 'you don't need to sleep with Chris anymore! We got what we wanted, we don't need him now'?” Chris scoffed. “Yeah, sure. Why would she say this if it wasn't true?”

“I didn't tell anyone about our encounter after the Yakuza fight, I didn't tell the girls you kissed me that night when I gave you a ride home, or took me ice skating, or made me breakfast, I figured it was none of their business!” Elin tried to explain. “I never imagined they would think hanging out with you yesterday was just me taking one for the team!”

“That's what you did with the instagram posts though.”

“Yes... but I never lied to you about it, I told you I wasn't interested and I only flirted with you to get invited to the party!”

She had never been anything but honest with him. Elin wasn't very fond of lying no matter how good she was at it. Chris had known from the very beginning that it was Sana who liked his posts with her phone, and she told him everything. They had been invited after all, there was no need to further manipulate him – he was a human being (maybe he was a trashy human being but that wasn't hers to decide) and he had feelings. Feelings that she obviously hurt.

“Here we are, you finally admit it!” Chris laughed halfheartedly. “Not interested.”

“No, I- for fuck's sake Chris, I like you alright! As if it wasn't clear enough! I like you! Do I have to fucking spell it out for you?”

“If you-”

“It's the truth! I swear it's the truth! What proof do you want?! I've never lied to you, there's no reason for me to start now!”

Elin had been naked in front of Chris once before, but nothing compared to this kind of exposure. Yesterday she _was_ naked, today she _felt_ naked. And the difference lied in the fact that she said the forbidden words. They created a chill between them, leaving them to awkwardly stare at each other, waiting for a reaction- whose reaction?

Chris was a hot head and an emotionally constipated fuckboy; or so he thought until rather recently. Now he sort of came to terms with the fact that Elin wormed her way into is life and possibly his heart (turns out he has one, who knew?), but he still had some distance to cross before admitting it out loud.

“I won't say it back if that's what you're waiting for,” Chris stated, all flaring nostrils and broken voice.

A small but genuine smile fought its way on Elin's lips, because she got it. She knew that Chris wouldn't return the kindness and voice whatever he felt. But she knew without a single doubt that he felt _something_ , and while he said 'I won't say it back', she heard the 'yet' at the end of the sentence, as clear as if he had actually voiced it. And what else could she ask for? Elin was a rather low maintenance person, if she could say so. Chris was aware of that, and that somehow made them a match.

“I wouldn't even dream of it,” she said while shaking her head, still unable to repress her smile – and why would she? “I don't care about labels, I'm not trying to be your girlfriend or force you into a relationship you don't want. But... whatever's happening between us... I just don't want it to stop.”

Chris' first instinct was to protest and say that nothing was happening between them apart maybe from high quality sex. He swallowed it down because it was a lie. Another painfully long silence settled in, and it wasn't until Chris' eyes gave away that he agreed and didn't want their bond to be broken based on a text he shouldn't even have read in the first place. He nodded faintly, and this time when Elin tried to touch him he didn't pull away, instead he opened his arms and welcomed her embrace as a way to seal the deal.

His arms were locked around her in such a way that she was trapped against Chris' chest, her chin safely tucked in the crook of his neck, Elin smiled. Everything had couldn't express with words he did through his actions, and the way he held onto her spoke volumes. Chris loosened his grip on Elin only to kiss her, and this time, it was sweet. It may be the first real kiss they shared. It wasn't a sloppy drunk kiss. It wasn't a quick peck on the lips meant to startle her. It wasn't an eager open-mouthed kiss that would lead to something more. It was _just_ _a_ _kiss_ , and yet it was the best one so far.

“Will you stay here tonight?” Chris uttered against her jaw, right below her ear.

It was always a challenge to think straight in this kind of situation.

“I can't,” she tried to sound convincing. “We have school tomorrow, I can't miss it again, and I don't have any of my stuff,” she explained.

“Still hellbent on being a model student?” He snicked in gentle mockery. “You like to play goody-two-shoes but you're a real maverick!” Chris laughed, the little crinkles at the corner of his eyes attesting the genuineness of his laughter.

“I have to keep up the appearances one way or another, don't I?” Elin asked ironically, shrugging her shoulders. “As long as I stay top of the class, my parents overlook everything else.”

“Including the tattoo and the nipple pie-”

“Yeah, no, I'd rather keep this to myself, what they don't know can't hurt them,” Elin cut him off, no very keen on imagining how her parents would react if they learned about these.

A heartfelt laughter answered her. It was such a relief to not hear Chris snarl and bark at her anymore. Elin had not realized how much it weighted on her chest to know that he was mad at her. It was even worse because she had done nothing to deserve his hostility. They sat down on his bed side by side, Elin's legs were thrown over Chris' and dangled from the bed. While she used one arm to lean on, the other rested on Chris' shoulder, just to maintain contact – in any way, it was just a necessity at the moment – and Chris' hand roamed over her thighs in a distracted, thoughtless way, as though it was a reflex and not a purposeful gesture.

“You sure you don't want to take this little rebellion of yours one step further and skip another day?” He insisted, obviously in the mood for more than just a little reconciliation kiss and some innocent strokes on the thigh.

“Chris, my car is still parked outside your house, your parents will see it in the morning.”

This put a final point to the question, Elin couldn't stay.

“But you can come to my apartment if you want,” she suggested, her fingertips tracing the contours of his jawline. “We'll still go to class tomorrow though.”

“Are we bargaining?” He frowned in slight confusing but it seemed like he was up for it. “I would have to sneak out then. I could get caught at moment. Ever heard of the risk-reward ratio?” Chris grinned, biting on his lower lip as Elin's jaw clenched.

“The reward is spending the whole night with me and not getting detention for skipping class again,” Elin replied, pursing her lips.

“Not enough,” he shook his head. “You'll need to place a higher bid or I'm out.”

“What do you mean you're out?” Elin shoved him in the shoulder playfully. “You're the one who wants to sleep with me!”

“And you don't?” His eyebrows shot up impressively high, a good way to show how utterly ridicule the though was to him.

“What do you want then? A lap dance?” She asked sarcastically. When she saw his eyes light up she knew she had missed an occasion to shut up.

“What do you have first period tomorrow?” He asked.

“Physics, why?”

“It's one of your good subjects, don't go to this class and I'll come tonight,” he bargained.

“... what do you have first period?” She asked, strangely concerned about his academic success all of a sudden.

“History, and that's my best subject,” he smiled triumphantly from ear to ear. “If you need help studying, you know where I live, by the way... and apparently you also know how to get in without being invited to- where the hell did you learn to pick locks?”

“I googled 'how to pick locks',” Elin said, giving Chris a pointed look.

“Wha- seriously?” Chris was usually receptive to irony but sometimes the line between sarcasm and truth was blurry. “You're shitting me, right?”

“Of course I am, you can't learn that with a Youtube tutorial!” Elin was laughing at him now. “I just had very skilled friends back in France,” she explained vaguely. She clearly wasn't going to go into the details of her past wayward life and potential number of offenses.

“I don't know how I feel about my girlfriend having a criminal past,” Chris joked, smiling brightly before leaning in and placing a kiss on Elin's lips. “I think it turns me on?”

Her hand flew up and to the back of his neck to deepen the kiss just when he was about to pull away again and start gathering his school items and clean clothes to pack them. Desire was still present, and it was hard to tell where it began and where it stopped, but somewhere among all the physical attraction, they both knew deeper feelings hid. The smiles on their faces were a testimony of those unspoken feelings, neither of them needed to voice them as for now, and that was fine.

Apparently, actions _did_ speak louder than words.

 

*

 

“Where have you been?” Vilde questioned Elin before she had the time to sit down at their usual table. “We had a Russ meeting last night but we couldn't reach you and this morning you didn't show u-”

“Breathe, Vilde!” Noora laughed, biting in her apple as she watched her friend gesticulate around. “She must have had something more important to do.”

“More important?” Vilde snapped at poor Noora who was only trying to defend her friend. “More important than Russ? More important than our entire future socia-”

“Vilde!” Elin called her to get her attention away from Noora. “I didn't see your message about the meeting, I'm sorry I missed it. But even if I had seen it I wouldn't have been able to come.”

Sana, who failed at repressing her smile, tried to hide it in her cup of coffee and didn't meet Elin's eyes, but she was obviously suspecting what was coming next.

“Are you not taking this seriously?” Vilde asked before rambling about the Russ bus and the utmost importance of their reunions.

“Vilde, I have a life outside of school, you do know that, right?” Elin asked in a gentle tone so not to rush her. “I was with Chris.”

“He was being weird yesterday,” Eva pointed out. “What happened?”

“Remember I forget my phone at his place?” Elin asked and their friends nodded. “He accidentally saw one of Vilde's texts that said I could stop using him because we didn't need him anymore.”

Vilde had the decency to blush and look at her feet.

“It wasn't easy to get him to understand that it was not true,” she sighed. “To make it short: I like him.” Her declaration was immediately followed by a sudden collective mayhem where everybody was asking questions and stating their shock upon hearing this. “This is not up to discussion, I just wanted you to know!” Elin said to make them stop talking all at once.

Noora was the only one not saying anything, she was just eating her apple and giving a 'I knew it' look to Elin.

“Are you dating?” Eva asked. She had this glimmer in her eyes and she was biting her lip the way she usually did when she was unearthing gossips and talking about boys.

Elin only smiled enigmatically and shrugged lightly.

“I can't believe it!” Eva grinned, putting both her hands over her mouth. “You and Penetrator Chris! What were the odds?!” She exclaimed, earning a round of agreement to her statement. It really was unreal.

“Not very low I'd say,” a voice said behind Eva, making them all turn around, except for Noora and Elin who were already facing the owner of said voice.

Chris stood there, one hand in the pockets of his jeans, the other attached to the handle of his backpack. His hair was falling a little bit in front of his eyes, and the infamous smirk he always put on for show was plastered on his face. He winked at the girls, and Vilde gasped while Eva barely contained herself and held back her laugh. Chris and Elin. It wasn't a joke.

“Ready?” He asked.

After a quick wave goodbye and a promise to meet them after last period, Elin stormed past the girls and joined Chris. In a common movement, both of them reached out for the other, Chris swung his arm over Elin's shoulders, and she wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked away, ignoring Eva's shocked laughter and Noora's light giggling as she watched her friends' jaws hit the ground.

 


	10. Epilogue

 

_Some time later..._

 

The sun rays that filtered through the window curtains warmed Elin's back, sending waves of bliss through her body as she further cradled her pillow against her chest, her face firmly pressed in it. This was perfection, that must be what heaven felt like: a lazy morning, clean sheets and the sun hitting her naked skin. Usually the chilly air of the bedroom woke her up whenever the sheets slipped down her body during the night, and then she had trouble falling back asleep. She wasn't really sleeping anymore right now, but she was still drowsy and way too comfortable to even think about getting up.

Elin tried to grab a little more of the sheets to bring them over her and wrap herself in them, but when she rolled around she felt the edge of the bed. Her eyes snapped open and she prepared to hit the floor but something held her back.

“Gotcha,” Chris' sleepy voice said from behind her, his arm wrapped around her to prevent Elin from falling again. “We could sleep on the floor if you don't like the bed, ya know?”

His eyes were closed still, but Elin knew by the sound of his voice that he was fairly awake now. She rolled back around and pressed her body against his side, letting her chin rest against his shoulder.

“Or maybe we should put a baby bed fence on your side of the bed,” he teased her, and Elin felt his chest vibrate from his laughter. She pinched his side and he yelped a bit.

“Do I look like a fucking baby to you?” Elin snapped at him in a playful tone. “Besides, who says I'm not doing it deliberately? I know you like to catch me, it gives you a sense of purpose and a reason to wake up every morning.”

“Mmh, I love hearing sarcasm first thing in the morning,” he replied, prompting a laughter from her.

“How can you forget that the edge of the bed is on your left side, _every morning_?” He asked. “Just roll the other way, the worst thing that could happen is you accidentally punching me in the face.”

Elin used her hands to support her chin and gazed at Chris, who smirked down at her.

“You'd rather get punched than catch me?” She grinned. “That's pretty messed up.”

“No. You're the only pretty thing here,” he replied, one of his hands already slipping behind Elin's back to brush up and down her spine.

“Who are you and what have you done to Christoffer?” Elin asked, pulling away from him. “I've never heard so much mushy nonsense come out of your mouth all at once.”

“Shit,” he swore, looking away and staring at the ceiling. “I was trying to be romantic, it's more difficult than I thought.”

“You'll get the hang of it” she reassured him, gently patting his shoulder. “I'm hungry, aren't you hungry?”

“Does it involve leaving the bed?” He grumbled.

“Well,” Elin said, biting on her lip. “I'm not a expert, but food is in the kitchen, not in the bedroom, so...” she said, stretching out the 'so'.

“You're making a valid point,” Chris admitted. “C'mon, let's get out of bed before I change my mind,” he urged Elin before throwing off the duvet.s

The cold air hit their naked bodies and a chill cursed through Elin's body before Chris handed her one of his shirts to cover herself. He usually wasn't one for encouraging Elin to wear something, but it was mid-January, and the heating system had trouble playing it role when it was so cold outside.

“Pancakes? Bacon? Cereals?” He asked as they walked to the kitchen.

“Waffles,” Elin said, and Chris rolled his eyes at her because _of course_ , she had to chose a fourth option.

She jumped on the counter. It was routine that Chris cooked breakfast, he was good at it, and he was more of an early bird than Elin. She was capable of setting the house on fire if he let her use the stove before her morning coffee. He quickly prepared the mixture and when the first waffles were in the waffle maker, he put the whip down and came to stand between Elin's legs, his hands finding her thighs as though that's where their rightful place was, and he couldn't help but let them slid up and under her shirt – _his_ shirt – as he leaned in to kiss her. It was nicer than he ever would have thought to live with her. It was Saturday, he didn't have to work, she didn't have class, they were just the right amount of sleepy and needy at this time of the day. The smell of waffles filled the air, and the coffee was brewing.

“Remember when we thought your parents were at work, so we started making out in your kitchen in this exact position?” She giggled, smiling in the kiss as he moved his hands to the small of her back to bring her forth.

“They had stayed home because Anja was sick,” he said, the whole scene replaying in his head. “The horror on their face.”

“'Hey mom and dad, I promise it's not what you think it is',” Elin tried to imitate Chris' voice.

“My voice is sexier than that,” he said, shaking his head.

It was true, what could she say?

“At least, it spared you the trouble of awkwardly introducing me as my girlfriend after spending weeks claiming we were just friends,” Elin reminded him.

“My mom knew though,” Chris said, grabbing two cups in the cupboard behind Elin and pouring them coffee.

“ _What_? How?” She asked with a stunned expression, her eyes going wide.

“I don't know, but she never bought the 'just friends' act. Only dads are oblivious enough for that.”

“Anyway, it completely ruined what good impression they had of me,” Elin sighed, taking the graciously offered cup of coffee and smelling the familiar scent.

“Not so sure.” Chris shrugged and they cheered before taking the first sip of their morning coffee. “But we can always spend Christmas with your parents if you can't even look at mine without thinking about... the incident. Do they even like me?” He frowned, suddenly realizing that he had never asked.

Chris was always Chris, and confidence was still his trademark. That was a huge perk for his job, but it often earned him a frank eye-roll from Elin.

“Are you kidding? They didn't know what to expect when I said I want them to meet the person I was dating, I think they were just relieved to find out you weren't my forty year old lesbian lover.”

It was hard to say what her parents thought, they were both renowned psychologists and didn't let that many emotions filter through. But they were definitely glad to see that Chris was a proper young man with apparently no psychotic disorder, and the same age as their daughter. The fact that he was a dashing twenty-three year old man wasn't factoring in in their judgment. This barely checked the 'acceptable suitor' case, but Chris was sufficiently self-assured to take this as a compliment.

“Your dad scares me a little though,” Chris confessed, a shiver running down his spine. “He never smiles at me and he stares at me like I'm some expensive leather jacket and he's wondering if I'm worth my price.”

“A leather jacket, really?” Elin laughed.

“Yes, it's manly and smooth, just like me,” he replied matter-of-factly.

This unfailing logic brought a fond smile on Elin's face and she put her cup on the counter and pulled Chris in for a kiss. Chris liked to listen to himself speak, the sound of his own voice was probably the sweetest he could hear, but Elin could always make him shut up when he was becoming a little cocky. One of her many tricks was as simple as a kiss.

Christoffer gave in without much resistance anyway, even if he suspected she did it only to make him stop talking, he was also a big fan of her methods and didn't complain in the least. Chris returned the kiss with twice as much fervor, the need to out-love her always taking precedence whenever she showed him affection. Elin was aware of that and she took full advantage of it. Chris did quick handiwork of her shirt and soon it decorated the floor, leaving her in the nude, sitting on the kitchen counter with Chris between her thighs. Elin moved closer and pressed tightly against him in a way that suggested the waffles were long forgotten.

“Shit! The waffles!” Chris exclaimed, running over to the waffle maker which was beginning to emit some smoke.

 

 


End file.
